


Moya Lyubov Tayla

by FrankieK2896



Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: Action/Adventure, Attempted Murder, Blood and Violence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Mutant Rights, Pregnancy, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, TRIGGER WARNINGS WILL ALWAYS BE DISPLAYED
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25177666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankieK2896/pseuds/FrankieK2896
Summary: Tayla was just a girl dealing with new powers and a hunger for equal human rights in her hometown. What started as simple protests turns into a full blown trial that could turn the tides and unravel the anti mutant group that’s taken over her hometown. But she has to survive until the trial, an Uncle she met long ago could hold the answers but will going into hiding yield more than a place to survive until she can truly make a change?
Relationships: Jean Grey/Scott Summers, Kitty Pryde/Kurt Wagner, Logan/Ororo Munroe, OC - Relationship, OC/OC, Original Characters - Relationship, Piotr Rasputin/Original Female Character(s), Remy LeBeau/Rogue
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely a work in progress, so revamps and edits might happen. I will notify on the latest chapter if and when they do happen so please feel free and welcome to reread when they do! Edits often mean new Easter eggs and key story details! Also IMPORTANT MESSAGE!! 
> 
> Trigger Warnings will always come at the beginning of each chapter and just before the scene. Please skip those parts if you need too! And please if there’s something triggering in a chapter that I failed to preface let me know so I can fix it!

I smile up at the sun as I lounge half in and half out of the water of central Dublin river.  
  
I can see clear to the riverbed, even to the deepest parts which are about twenty feet the last time I checked. The fish swim with the current, making me smile as they stop to check out the opal colored scales of my lower half. The little rainbows flitting about the droplets of water almost blind me and my smile deepens when I realize just how far I’ve come. From despising my mutation to truly loving and embracing it.  
  
To the locals and recent news I'm known as the 'Siren Rapids Guardian' and I have to say that my mermaid vigilante act has gone rather well so far. I've saved at least twenty from the more swift currents of the river. I've even made the news lately by sabotaging the local anti mutant groups movements and rallies.  
  
They call this part of the river Siren Rapids because of the calm surface and the whisper of the swift rapids beneath the surface. Named so for luring tourists and children to swim unaware of the rip tides beneath the surface due to being connected to the ocean not a far ways off. If you get caught in a rip here you’re dragged directly out to sea with no chance of fighting your way back without a mission like mine.  
  
I run my fingertips along the curly Q opalescent scales traveling over my hips and lower abdomen. My grandmother told me that once I've turned 30 the scales will probably stretch all the way up to my bust and cover my chest. She and two of my brothers are the only ones who know. My eldest brother excluded due to his long lived involvement in the local anti-mutant militia.  
  
Suddenly I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the exhilarated screams of a group of teenagers up on the cliffs. mostly though when the bushes behind me are suddenly pulled back from the shore and I gasp, shoving myself up. I'm about to dive into the water when a large hand grabs onto my arm.   
  
"Hey! It's just me!" I turn immediately as I recognize Teimoso's voice and smack him hard on the arm with a relieved glared.   
  
"Don't you scare me like that! You know you're supposed to say something if you're going to walk up behind me! " I yell at him, he raises an eyebrow at me and smirks.   
  
"Nah, scarin you is more fun irmazinha" ((Little sister, Gaelic)) my fraternal twin tells me, I frown raising a single eyebrow at him in slight annoyance at the crying childhood nickname.  
  
"Yeah? Next time you think it's a good idea I'm throwing you in the river! And just because you were born first don't mean you're older little man!" I tell him as he lets go of my arm. He laughs, his blue and gold eyes sparkling.   
  
My brother and I share our mothers bright red hair and pale complexion, he has one blue eye and one amber gold one courtesy of our father.   
  
"Ah, but you're too sweet to do somethin so mean, besides I'll get taller just you wait!" he winks at me and steps further into the river, gently grasping my upper arms and beginning to pull me up from the water toward shore. I place my hands on his arms as he continues to drag me upwards as though I'm going to magically be able to shed the scales at will and stand on my own two feet. "the festival is just a few hours away, I thought you'd want to get yourself ready, not to mention Gran's asked for you to help close up at the shop"   
  
"Yea yea sure I’ll be there right away but you know it may look solid but I can't stand on my-" I start to speak but suddenly my words are drowned out by a ginormous explosion from the cliffs. Teimoso ducks as rocks spray down over our heads from the cliff top. He's now knelt on the pebbled shore holding me, he puts a hand to the back of my head and pulls me to his chest protectively. Almost pinning it under his chin as I attempt to peer up at the cliffs just in time to see someone fall into the deepest part of the river below. I gasp and push away from Teimoso when I hear someone yell that he can't swim.   
  
I immediately dive into the rivers cool depths, ignoring Teimoso's calls to come back, the gills on my sides opening as they submerge. My eyesight perfectly clear thanks to my mutation, I swim against the current, searching the depths for the person who fell.   
  
Suddenly I see a large shadow hurdle past and I change direction, swimming as fast as I can after them. They’re in a much broader and deeper part of the river now and I watch as tumbling slows and they starts to sink. Once I get within reach I sling my arm around theirs, hooking it securely into mine by the underarm. I can now see is a black haired man not much older than I am. I twist and look for light, knowing that if I'm not careful I could drag him down further. I slip my other arm underneath his as I cover his mouth and nose with one hand and push toward the surface.   
  
Once I break it I release my hold on his face and look around, seeing no one and noticing that I've swam a good thirty feet downstream from the cliffs.   
  
I groan as I turn over in the water so I can swim more easily to the shore. This guys no light weight that much can be said but he's not fat, more like layer upon layer of, At the moment, annoyingly solid muscle. The added weight of him pressing on my chest makes me wheeze beneath the water. His sheer size pushing me below the surface and I thank god that my gift included gills. I can now see why people die trying to save their loved ones in these cases but I keep going until my back hits the riverbed.  
  
At the point where I'm wedged between the riverbed and him, I give a powerful thrust of my tail to dislodge him and shift so that I'm at his side, pushing him up onto the shore until he's half in and half out of the water as I had been enjoying this rarely bright and sunny afternoon. I pull myself up next to him, leaning my head on his chest I listen for breathing or a heartbeat. When I don't hear anything I start CPR, counting to myself as I do.   
  
"Tay? What the hel-" Teimoso comes crashing through the brush just as I'm tilting the guy's head back and giving him oxygen.   
  
"No time for you to dick around call for an ambulance now!" I order him swiftly as I give the man another round of air and continue pumping his chest. My brother nods and points at me, speaking softly.   
  
"Don't you be here when I get back Taylana"   
  
Teimoso bolts away into the forest toward the nearest phone which is probably with the people I can hear crashing through the forest toward us. I know I can't be seen but I won't leave him until he's breathing.   
  
" Come on.. Come on.. Breathe damnit!" I say through gritted teeth as I throw all of my weight into the compressions. it feels like I'm not making his chest compress at all but on the fourth round the man starts to cough up water and turns violently onto his side, nearly taking me with him. My mind blanking as his arm, which had been slung over my shoulder in the water and was laying behind me during compressions, knocks into my shoulder blades, shoving me forward with a kind of force I hadn't expected and that makes my head rock violently from the whiplash.   
  
I groan and rest a hand against my forehead as little shots of pain zip up and down my spine. I shut my eyes against it and rest my other hand on his shoulder while my swimming head calms. Another annoyance of my gift is the vertigo if I’m not careful transitioning from land to water.  
  
After a moment of strange quiet and deep breathes I open my eyes in shock to find the man staring at me with large cyan blue eyes, his chest is heaving with the slightly frantic breathes he's taking. The white button up shirt and dark blue shorts he's wearing are plastered to him and I realize now, and scold myself for it, that he's not that bad looking, not bad at all.   
  
I realize that I'm probably a terrifying sight with my gills opening and closing themselves and my lack of legs so I steel myself and am about to remove my hand from his shoulder when I notice the crashing in the forest getting closer and my brothers voice ringing above the rest.   
  
"He's over here!" I can tell he's speaking deliberately loud and as soon as the man turns his head to look behind him I push myself deeper into the water and make myself scarce, diving almost to the riverbed of the twenty foot river where I can scuff the bottom and better obscure myself. I turn and look back at the man as he stands and to my shock starts to wade into the water after me.   
  
Just as I'm about to swim back up and stop him another person, a short blonde woman in a red bikini holding a camera in her hand, joins him. My heart flutters at the sight of the camera and I swim backwards instinctively trying to keep myself hidden.   
  
They speak for a minute as more people start to join them and grab the man's arms, pulling him away from the water, though they don't seem to move him even an inch. Then the woman starts to scan the water with her camera, she stops suddenly looking right at me. I feel a stab of panic and bolt upstream as fast as I can back to my hidden place by the shoreline. The river bed getting steadily shallower as I go and I hope they don't get a glimpse of me on their camera.  
  
I surface and go to my sunbathing spot, shoving myself up onto it and into a patch of the tall grass. I try to calm my frantic breathing as I grab the towel I'd brought with me and start to dry myself off but when my tail doesn't transform I know I'll have to calm down first.  
  
I take deep breathes and rest a hand on the warm pebbles of the shore, letting the warmth of the sun soothe my nerves until I finally feel the extreme itch that comes with the transformation. I bite my lip hard to keep from itching as the scales detach from my skin and fall into the grass and rocks beneath me.   
  
Once all the scales have fallen I gather them up, dumping them into my brown bag that sits on the bank and pull on my jeans. I grab my flats and slip them on just as I start to hear people coming my way and bolt in the opposite direction.   
  
I'm not sure how I didn't think about them possibly just going back to their party but as soon as I bolt I hear someone ask "what was that" and hear them begin to follow. I push myself to go faster, nothing I can do about it now. I dodge around the trees, jumping over logs and branches and running hard to get to the edge of the forest. As I reach it I breathe a sigh of relief when I see the two story cottage style house sitting tranquilly in the clearing.   
  
I don't stop running until I've reached it and even then I slam the kitchen door behind me and lock it, my breathe coming hard and fast. I immediately notice Bowen, his tapered hair still an einstein style wavy mess on top as he fixes the twins lunch of pureed beats and peas. with Irene's grilled cheese sandwich already plated on the table, Bowen having been about to put a cover on it has frozen midmotion as he sees me with my back plastered to the door and arms spread against it.   
  
"Tayla? Are you okay? " my younger brother says cautiously, standing away from the table in a green shirt and black jeans. Bowen automatically comes to my side and pulls me away from it, trying to lead me to the table. I pull my arm out of the fourteen year olds grasp and go to the kitchen window, looking out and scanning the tree line. I see a flash of color but shriek when a new voice enters the kitchen.   
  
"Hey! what are you doing? What's with slamming the doors? The twins and Irene are still down for a nap and if it lasts longer you won't hear me complaining" I turn around quickly and see Arden standing there, his short black hair mussed from training in the garage no doubt, his boxing tape still on his fists.   
  
I'm about to explain when a faint knocking comes from the door and I flinch, turning back to the window and seeing the guy I saved along with the blonde woman he'd been standing with and a few others. I duck down and twist away from the window, leant awkwardly across the kitchen sink in order to hide myself as a brown haired boy with red sunglasses turns his head in my direction.   
  
"Oh crap.. " I say timidly, Arden's face turns stoic suddenly as he realizes what's happened.   
  
"They saw you didn't they? " he asks me seriously, I shake my head and whisper.   
  
"Only the tall one, he fell into the river and I pulled him out but he wasn't breathing so I had to stay, he needed compressions and CPR" I tell him quickly, The 27 year old grabs my arm and pulls me gently toward the door to the living room. He nods for Bowen to go with me and the younger quickly pulls me toward the archway.   
  
"Go hide somewhere, I'll get rid of them " Arden says calmly, striding to the front door where the group is standing. I nod and follow Bowen as he leads me to the living room and has me sit behind the couch, crouching next to me.   
  
All of a sudden I hear the door open and a flood of voices come into the house.   
  
"May I help you? " Arden asks, I roll my eyes at his sardonic tone as though he'd like nothing more but for them to leave. Ever the freaking diplomat, an open book he is. I should have had Bowen answer the door though it strikes me he'd have probably invited them in for tea.  
  
"Yeah handsome, have you seen a chick with red hair run by here? " a loud and cocky woman's voice carries itself to us and I feel Bowen grab my hand as my heart starts to thump.   
  
"No I'm sorry, why do you ask? " Arden feigns curiosity in order to fool them into thinking he doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. He obviously skirts around the woman's attempt at flirting though that’s no surprise.   
  
"Cause we're lookin for her that's wh-" I hear a clap just as the woman's voice stops and a nervous low chuckle.   
  
"Because the woman saved my life and I'd like to thank her, I saw her run this way but I wasn't sure if she might have been here " a calm polite voice informs my brother, I blink in surprise. Not only because I'd been expecting a mob, what with this anti mutant town but because with this guys urge to be so openly honest I'm wondering if we should have invited them in and told them to keep me a secret. I turn to Bowen on my left, eyes wide still trying to process what's happening and the implications.  
  
'They aren't here to turn me in?' I mouth to Bowen, who shrugs and shakes his head at me, his angry frown telling me not to even think about peeking. which I'm sure we both know I'm thinking about. I feel him tug frantically on my arm as I turn and move upwards to look over the back of the couch. we both stop completely as a little voice enters the room behind us. We turn simultaneously to see the raven haired little girl yawn and rubs at her eyes. her grey tom cat Saul rubbing against her legs, happy to have her awake.  
  
"why are you playing so loud? I was sleepy.. Tay-" Irene's sleepy voice asks from the doorway across from us, her eyes lifting to me and widening in question as she sees me. Bowen launches forward and snatches her little wrist, yanking her behind the couch with us. The cat hissing at the rough treatment of his favorite human and swiping at Bowens hand.   
  
"Vhoa! Vhat vas that?!" A voice calls from the door, sounding alarmed at Irene's surprised shout. Bowen wrings his hands in front of him and looks around dramatically for a distraction and then I have an idea. I turn Irene to me and smile at her.   
  
"You guys were playing hide and seek from Arden and the boy at the door and he found you, why don't you go say hi? But don't tell him about Bowen and I because we're playing too, okay?" I explain to her carefully, her sleepy smile brightens and she jumps up bolting out from behind the couch.  
  
"Haha! You found me yay! Now you have to find Bowen and then it's your turn to find me again!" She cries as I hear an oomph from the door and a laugh from the same boy.   
  
"Vell I guess I did! But I don't think.." the boy says carefully, probably getting puppy dog eyes from Irene as I promptly hear a guilty gulp.   
  
"Now don't you start that, you've got food on the table young lady, I'll play hide and seek with you later at the festival" Arden scolds her gently, I practically hear her eyes roll and her scoff. Though she giggles and runs off to the kitchen, her chair scraping back. Bowen lets out a breath and sighs, leaning back against the couch in relief. He gives me a praising look and I smile, shrugging with a smirk that screams 'what can I say? I'm a genius'   
  
The gray tabby cat slowly slinks into Bowens lap, looking very sorry as he begins to lick away the blood on Bowens hand from his defensive swipe.  
  
"Well I'm sorry we couldn’t help you find your friend but we have to feed the kids and get ready for the festival tonight so if you don't mind-" Arden begins to dismiss the group and my heart pounds as the brash woman interrupts him again.   
  
"Wait! what about that girl? Don't you care what happens to her!" The loud woman's voice demands over the small creak of the door and the sudden thud that I assume is her stopping him from closing the door somehow. I hear a few of her friends pleading with her to stop though as Arden groans, losing his patience with a small growl which she responds to by making a rather interesting sound. Obviously surprised by it but I roll my eyes at the sultry hmm that follows.   
  
"Haven't you heard? This village ain't no place for freaks and if you were saved at the river then I'll bet it was that mutant vigilante. You keep after her and the village watch will hunt her down and that ain't gonna end well. Now leave." He orders, his voice deepening a fraction as the door slams again. I look up over the couch, a small pain in my chest at the reminder that this village hates me despite my good deeds. Bowen pats my shoulder awkwardly and stands, using me for balance though I don't mind, I'm stuck in my own depressing thoughts. I sigh and stand slowly, moving for the hallway but I stop when Arden speaks up again. "You realize if they tell people in town and Griffin catches wind it won't take much for him to connect the dots and god help us all if he can't control his Watch mate's"   
  
I turn my head to glance at him over my shoulder and nod, knowing what it will mean for us.   
  
"They'll come after me and everyone who's ever helped me" I respond, my voice somehow drained, sounding as though my very soul was on the brink of collapsing. I hear him take a step and look at him again, compassion and anger warring behind his amber eyes.   
  
"You don't get it! they'll do everything they can to get at you, to destroy you. They'll beat you and call it self-defense when you try to stop them. Or worse if you fight them you'll disappear like the others have and when you're gone they'll come after us for harboring you" he informs me once again, at this point I turn to him and glare.   
  
"And what do you expect me to do? Leave? Where do you suggest I go? And how will you explain it to Griffin if I suddenly leave right after I'm suspected of being a mutant. Much like you I might add" I testify with a small scowl gracing my lips, his face drops to the floor and he sighs, coming to my side. I let him wrap his arms around me, returning the favor as he pulls me into one of his warm hugs though this ones quite sweaty and bare chested.   
  
"I know that you've been doing everything you can to protect us, to keep yourself hidden but your mutation is a lot different than mine. To everyone out there I've got a knack for fighting and I'm strong because I train but that’s all. I can downplay myself, you can't. I'm not saying you should leave, you know that I'll protect you should it ever happen that you're outed but as much as I hate to say it, I can't protect you forever irmazinha.." (little sister) He lets out a sad huff of breathe that ruffles the hair on top of my head. I feel a weight in my chest and I try to hold back the tears at the defeat in his voice but then he continues and leaves me confused. "I've made a call to our uncle on moms side, he said he knows a place where you'll be safe. at least until the heat dies down a bit over here."  
  
I pull back from him and look up into his face, unsure of how to feel about this information. Our mother never talked about her family, never introduced us, never allowed them to come over. For all we knew up until three years ago we didn't have family on mom's side all she told us was that as soon as they could her and her siblings left and never looked back.   
  
"So.. I'd be moving away? To where? Would I be allowed to visit" I question carefully, watching as his eyes drift to the floor again and then back to mine.  
  
Arden can't even look at me as my own eyes lower, my mind racing.   
  
"I won't be able to come back will I?" my voice cracks and tears come to my eyes suddenly, I flinch as I suddenly feel his head pop back up and then a strong grip on my shoulders but I don't look up at him.   
  
"No, it's not like that Tayla I would never push you out of our family like that" Arden assures me hurriedly, tilting his head to look into my eyes and bringing mine back up to his face as he continues.  
  
"No, you wouldn't be able to visit at least not for a little while but we're working on a petition that will stop the anti-mutants nuts around here and we'll need you to help testify because you were so close to Gregor. So to be safe you'll need to leave under the guise of transferring schools" He tells me excitedly, then my eyes snap to his, wide with shock. Stop the antimutant watch?   
  
"But how is that possible? And why do I have to leave to make it happen?" I demand, pulling out of his grasp for a moment to pace the floor in both confusion and excitement. I hear Bowen talking to Irene in the kitchen, then scolding Sophia for throwing her peas and Gavan for reciprocating, calling them wee devils under his breath. I chuckle a little and sober as Arden lowers his voice so we can't be heard.   
  
"Your vigilante act has brought enough tourism to make the last four autumn festivals a real attraction, like Nessy in the Loch, people have been flocking here to catch a glimpse of you, not to mention you've saved lives. Without you here things will plummet and people will call for your return when rumor goes out that you've been run off by the watch, high seated people will call for their disbandment and the government will have to do something about it." He says with a small smile, he stops my pacing to look me in the eyes his hands gripping my shoulders again. "They'll have to finally listen to us, I've had a petition drawn up and I plan to have it signed over the next year and sue the bastards. then I'll need you to testify with the eye witness accounts of Gregor beating that poor boy into a coma last year, but for that you'll need to stay safe. they know you're the only possible witness who'll testify with a first hand account and once the petition gains momentum they'll look for you. They won't do anything to us here because that would be to easy for the court to see through if any of us disappeared."   
  
As he speaks I feel a smile lifting my lips, for a long time we've been sabotaging the Watch with the information Griffin gives us by proxy. political statements and calculated sabotages of their bases and equipment, ways to spread the word that the mutant haters need to be punished for their mistreatment and now we actually have a chance to get rid of it for good.  
  
"It'll change everything for the better and you'll just have to go travel for a little while. Our uncle lives in the states, he's offered to shelter you until your testimony is needed and I bring the petition to the courts. It'll be a long time I know but you'll be living at a place built especially for mutants. It's your choice though, I know it's a lot to take i-"  
  
"When do I leave?" I interrupt, my chest thrumming with excitement and nerves. my brother chuckles at this and playfully pushes me toward the hallway just as a crash comes from the kitchen. He bolts toward the archway to investigate looking briefly back at me with a distracted smirk of his own.   
  
"Our uncle got here a little over a week ago as part of school trip, he's a teacher and we agreed that tonight his coworkers would be able come here to meet us and talk things through during the festival when everyone will be occupied and drunk. You'll stay out with Teimoso and Bowen so no one local catches on. I've got something big planned for tonight myself so when we've made the arrangements I'll text you and we'll meet at the square, until then act normally and enjoy the festiva- " after another crash in the kitchen he raises and eyebrow and frowns as Bowen starts to scold the 'damn cat' and Irene protests, defending her friend. Arden looks back to me and continues, still somewhat hushed but not to the point where Bowen probably hasn't heard. "Tomorrow would be best time to leave. Pack whatever you'll need and leave them in your closet, he'll come by the house tomorrow morning to collect you before Griffin gets here for family dinner"   
  
Another clatter from the kitchen and Arden's patience finally snaps and he bounds into the kitchen. I hear Bowen start to ask what that was about but is interrupted by Arden's quite loud shock at 'what tornado ripped through here?!' I roll my eyes with a smile and take the steps two at a time.   
  
'America! I can't believe it!' I think to myself in excitement, approaching my bedroom door and thrusting it open. I immediately go to the closet and grab my 'Go Bag'. It's a medium sized black and purple diving bag that Teimoso bought for me last year. It's completely waterproof and filled with basic feminine hygienic supplies, all my burlap scale bags, an outdoor survival kit and my savings in a lock box.   
  
I pull the box out and count what I have, ending up with eight hundred and thirty dollars and replace the box quickly in the hidden pocket. I realize that I should make it look as if I'm not completely prepared to leave at a moment's notice and take more clothes from the rack. Jeans, T-Shirts, a dress or two along with my laptop, phone and notebooks from my dresser doubly used as a desk due to being the perfect height to pull a chair up too and my training gear. A gift from Arden when he first found out about my vigilantism and decided I needed to learn how to fight. I drop it all by the doorway but stop when I'm about to pass my mother and fathers picture on the dresser.   
  
I lift the frame and smile, my father with his arms around my mother on their first date, a picnic lunch on the outskirts of the forest. They stand in the very clearing where father proposed to her two years later and built our house. He's been at sea for over three years now, he never could come home for long after mom died giving birth to Sophie and Gavan. She has the same fiery red hair as Tei and I, and while I have two bright blue eyes he has one blue and one amber. A trait from our father.   
  
I sometimes wonder how my mother, such a tiny woman gave birth to three sets of twins and two more normal single pregnancies. First Griffin and Arden, then Tei and I, going through to Bowen who was supposed to have a twin but was still born, Irene and then finally Sophie and Gavan. I flinch suddenly when Ardens voice booms up from the first floor.  
  
"Ay! Gran says you have to wear the dress for her tonight so no skipping out on her!" Arden shouts up to me from the cacophony that is the kitchen, with another crash not a moment later Arden is heard shooing the cat away and within moments the tom comes tearing into my bedroom through the ajar door.   
  
He ducks underneath my bed for shelter and its then I find the little soft white dress that Gran has been trying to get me to wear ever since I partnered the shop with her. I roll my eyes and strip down, pulling on a sheer pair of white nylons and go to where the dress lays across my sheets. It’s a knee length thing of flowery lace, with an illusion neckline and cap sleeves. The skirt made with layers upon layers of tulle building the poofed skirt out underneath and a pale blue ribbon belt with chiffon rosettes and crystals set off center on the right. It's such a pretty thing but it looks more suited for a bride than a shop worker.   
  
I sigh, knowing what my Gran would say if she heard that. I pick up the dress by the shoulders, pushing my arms through the silk lined inside and letting it slide onto me. I go through the motions and let the dress fall, pulling the zipper up to its end at my lower back and reaching behind my neck to clasp the single button that creates the slim keyhole opening at the nape of my neck. Once done I reach around and trace the bridal buttons all the way down the back, synching the ribbon bowed sash just a little tighter around my waist.   
  
My mothers dress for her wedding, the one she slaved over, to buy with all she had and then embroidered by Gran herself with skill unlike anyone. The inspiration for hers and Grans "One Stop McMathrey Wedding Shop" I've never felt worthy of wearing it. But mom wore it every day to work and it became an icon, a jealousy amongst our rivals and when she passed away it and the shops Partnership was handed down to me, as her will and Grans, requested the ownership of the dress was also passed.   
  
"C'mon now! Don't be throwin food missy! Oi! Get your butt to the shop 'fore Gran kills Jackson! that's a battle I don't want to choose sides for!" Arden yells up to me, obviously battling with the twins. Irene suddenly comes through the door then. A big contented smile on her face as she walks across the room and kneels beside the bed, all she has to do is open her arms and the grey tom launches into them. Which knocks the both of them over as she giggles and the mangy cat rubs his face happily against her cheek. I put my hands on my hips.   
  
"Now aren't you supposed to be helping Bowen and Arden get the babies ready for Mrs. Johnson? Not to mention yourself?" I tell her with a meaningfully raised eyebrow, I can't help but smile though as she looks up at me and smirks.   
  
"I'm helping Saul get ready, He ran away to your room cause Bowen was saying mean things about him and when Arden yelled at him he ran here cause he knows that you like him more and you'll protect him" she gabs, the words coming out in one matter of fact tone that makes me chuckle.   
  
"Alright you cheeky munchkin go on then, I'm sure you've got clothes waitin on your bed." I tell her, pulling the girl to her feet careful not to jostle Saul. Such an oddly human name for a cat and a five year old to pick but that's alright, she's always acted older than her age dictates. I scratch the tom beneath the chin and kiss his head, careful of his bad eye.   
  
"Saul needs to eat first! Plus I'll be able to play better in shorts!" She assures me as Saul hears the mention of food and increases his head butts, urging her to make good on her word.  
  
"While that’s true it’s a sorry excuse for not wanting to wear the dress Gran made you!" I say pointedly, ignoring my own hypocritical statement the fact of which is not lost on little Irene. She scowls at me and rolls her eyes, knowing she won't win the argument as she heads for the door.   
  
"Just like you never wanna wear mama's dress?" She throws back at me over her little shoulder, Saul resting his shoulder on it and staring back at me. I drop my hands on my hips and trace the slightly poofed aline skirt with a flourish.   
  
"Well, what then does this look like to you missy? Go on now! We're going to be late if you don't move along" I raise an eyebrow at this statement, a smile playing across my lips as she stops dead in her tracks and I turn slowly to the vanity and pick up my mascara. I watch her turn slowly to me, excitement already in her eyes.   
  
"You mean I'm going with you to Grans shop?" She asks carefully, I shrug a bit trying to veil the slyness in my smile.   
  
"Well yes, but only if you get dressed and finished before I'm ready to go" I maintain, the same nonchalant tone as I glance down at the little white watch I'm slipping onto my wrist. "From what I see I still have to get my hair done, get my shoes, find the keys to my bike and grab my purse so you have about ten to twenty minutes love"  
  
Before I've even finished my sentence I hear Saul yowl in surprise as my little sister bolts out of the room and down the hall to hers. I can understand her excitement, it's not every day she's allowed to come to the shop. it's usually a much more mature environment and most brides don't want a child running around during their appointments but on days like this she gets so excited.   
  
I was that way when I was her age as well, the passion for the bridal and wedding industry runs in our blood it seems. Sophie will be the next to succumb to the shops positive atmosphere and the beautiful white dresses from all over the world and the ones we create and embroider ourselves I'm sure. Perhaps falling even harder for them than we have with her own serene and sweet disposition, Irene is likely to be her inspiration though as I'll be gone to college or where ever fate takes me by that time. The thought of which reminds me that I will in fact be leaving for a long time tomorrow, perhaps for years. The thought of missing so much in their little lives rushes forward but I dismiss it as soon as it comes.   
  
I'm walking to the closet to grab my pair of bridal flats when I hear Irene's squeal of excitement at seeing the gown I'd asked Arden to lay out for her. Just as I'm sitting on my bed, my soft white lace flats in hand I hear her come pounding back to my bedroom.   
  
And when I look up I almost bust out laughing at the lopsided white dress and wrong foot shoes. for such a sarcastic child her excitement for the shop would be puzzling if I didn't know she'd been raised there. I pull on my own flats and tie the two inch white satin ribbons around my ankles in bows at the achilles before I motion for her to come to me.   
  
She rolls her eyes and I laugh a little as I pull the dress up over her shoulders and reposition it. I pull the dramatic organza skirt back down and pull the zipper up the fitted tank bodice, beaded with crystals and light grey beads in swirling ivy designs.   
  
I pull up her black hair and twist it into a messy bun, wrapping it with another white satin ribbon. I yank out some strands of her wavy hair so they fall and frame her face just like she likes. I receive a brief glare at the treatment but I shrug since it's a daily occurrence and she Must Have her hair like this every day we go to the shop.   
  
As I finish I give her a swat on the butt and she laughs, a small smile meandering across my face as I reach down and pull my box of hair supplies from beneath my bed. I set it next to me as she goes to the vanity and looks at herself, that’s when I notice she has tennis shoes on and laugh so hard I drop the brush I had been holding.   
  
"Nice try missy now go get your dress shoes!" I tell her thoroughly amused by her choice, but she looks back at me and shakes her head in all seriousness.   
  
"Sauls tail is twitching so that means its gonna rain tonight and I don’t want to get my nice shoes from mommy dirty" She mutters pleadingly, blushing and losing her serious look as her gaze drops to the floor. I feel a tug on my heart and can't bring myself to make her go get them. I only sigh and open my arms to her causing the sarcastic little girl to slowly and grudgingly walk into them.  
  
She doesn’t put her arms around me as I do for her, not being an openly touchy person so I simply rub her back and kiss her forehead. I lean my chin against her still downturned head and crack a half smile, our mothers smiling face appearing in my mind.   
  
"Well then, if Saul is twitchin' then we can't be having Mama's dress shoes for you get dirty now can we?" I relent with a sigh, bringing up a smile to veil my own sadness and lean back to look into her face. My smile bringing back the crooked one I'm so used to seeing on her face. We both jump as a low yowl comes from the floor before us and look down just as Saul jumps onto the bed, pushing himself between us and into my lap and butting his head against his favorites chin.  
  
I've always loved this cat, if only because he keeps Irene happy during moments like this, somehow knowing just when to intervene and cuddle her.   
  
She pulls the cat roughly to her chest in a hug, though he doesn't seem to mind, only readjusting so he can rub against her cheek to cheek. Her preference to hug the animal over me I can understand at her age as looks up at me. A particularly young and demure look in her eyes as she brings them to my face once more.   
  
"Really? Won't Gran be mad?" she questions me almost meekly as I retrieve the brush and push it into her hands.   
  
"At her Mini Me? Not a chance!" I reassure her, my tone absolutely positive but when it seems she isn't swayed I think for a moment. Then I have an idea, a half smile crossing across my face as I turn to fully sit on the edge of the bed "Now, how would you like to brush my hair today?"   
  
I chuckle as her eyes light up and she lets Saul jump from her arms so she can climb onto the bed and stand behind me.   
  
"I wanna do it up and down today!" She declares excitedly, I almost hear a maniacal laugh and I only have time to grimace as I feel the first tug through my wild curls. Terrified goosebumps rising as she begins ripping the brush through my hair.


	2. Chapter 2

About Four Hours Later. .

"Hey Taylana! I like your hair today! Did little one do it for you?" Fred shouts down to me from the bed of the semi as I pick up another crate of flowers. I nod, remembering the millennium it took Irene to pull out all of the tangles from the river. 

"That she did, and she was very happy to finally use the new flower pins we got in" I tell him, a hand going to the silver olive leaf and lily hair pin holding up half of my corkscrew curls. Which even after the brushing are fighting to escape the pin.

I smile as Fred passes me another smaller crate on top of the one I have for my sass and I head toward the door, stopping when I see a middle aged man with blonde hair and unnaturally pale skin just standing at the end of the alley smoking and staring back at me. I frown, feeling a twist in my stomach at the look on his face, Savanah, heading out the back just in time to give Fred back his crate for one of the dresses, gives me a playful swat on the butt as she passes and jumps up on the truck, moving onto the next crate. The thing is almost as tall as she is at 6'0 and just a bit wider than her spindly form. 

"Could you help Fred-" I quickly look back toward the other man down the alley and find him gone as I'm about to ask Savannah to help her dad finish bringing things in. 

"I know what you're going to ask, just do what you do girl" the twenty six year old orders flippantly, making Fred laugh at his daughters attitude. Savanah is about to turn away but then turns back to me, catching my arm. "Oh yea! Your sister is greeting a new bride who requested Gran be her stylist, ya might want to go interrupt that"

Savanah's laughing voice makes me smile, the blond giving me a pat on the arm before turning back to her father whose staring at her with an eyebrow raised. As I enter the shops back door I hear her question him and him tell her that’s no way to keep your job to which she only laughs. 

I roll my eyes at that, Savanah's been here since before the twins were born. at first a part time stylist due to college and now a full time designer for us alongside myself and formerly my late mother. 

As I open the shop door I hear the TV in the waiting area talking about 'yet another miraculous rescue from 'Siren Rapids Guardian' which brings my mind back to wondering if my newest rescue is talking to the news. I quickly stride to the waiting area, my heart pounding as I enter the small corner of the store, littered with armchairs a few coffee tables and magazine holders with Bridal catalogs stuffed within. As my eyes lift to the TV I find that it's just a rerun and let out a breath of relief. 

"-nd that’s why you shouldn’t do a princess dress!" I flinch when the ringing in my ears subsides and I turn quickly to find a young woman with short brown curls staring incredulously into a catalog. With Irene sitting beside her matter of factly pointing into the book at the silhouette guide. The woman nods carefully and then looks up at her in shock. 

"You know, I was thinking the same thing but I wasn't sure about it. Are you sure you about the trumpet skirt though?" she asks carefully, I'm about to cut in but then Irene nods curtly and smiles.

"Oh yeah! You have good hips and nice legs so I think you should do that instead!" She says happily, I laugh a little bit as Irene turns to me finally and shoos me away. "Miss Brandy says she wants Gran to help her find a dress but I'm helping too so can you go get her?" 

I raise an eyebrow at her and the woman looks up at me with surprise still etched on her face, unsure of what to say. 

"That I will do for you as soon as soon as I leave these flowers with Jackie and Tei. Ms. Brandy, I'll be right back" I tell her kindly, winking at Irene as I pass, she's definitely born for this shop but even as I walk away my mind starts to drift back to before at the river.

I start toward the florist stand, all the while I'm thinking about the understanding look the guy from the river had given me. Like my having a mutated fish tail was no surprise at all, granted he did almost die so I'm sure that would have been the last thing on his mind. I traverse the shelves over to the flower counter without even breaking from my thoughts. Did he almost did though… he could hand called the whole thing..

I drop the crate onto the dark surface, Only to get a pained yelp and Jacksons head and body vault up from where he'd been kneeling. I quickly rip the crate off of his hand and he sucks on his fingers. 

"Pay attention Tayla! You nearly crushed my fingers!" Jack whines indignantly, his lips at a full pout as I notice him shove his phone in his pocket. 

"Maybe you shouldn't be on your phone talking to your lover! Gran'll have your head if she sees you on it again" I tell him carefully, putting the crate of daisies on the counter next to him. He shrugs and grabs it, pulling it to him with a smug smile. The door to the fondly named, Flower Fridge opens and Teimoso comes out with a crate of flowers for the display. I almost laugh at seeing his loose curls pinned back so tightly. At this he sighs as he weighs in on the conversation, knowing exactly what the conversation pertains due to having had it so many times before. 

"You know, she's right Jack" Teimoso teases, dropping off the crate next to the first one and smirking when Jack turns away from him and pouts. 

"What's she gonna do? Make me put my phone away? I'm sure it'll be fine" he assures us flippantly, lifting the crate and putting it on display in the case. I laugh at this information and shake my head. Teimoso does the same and turns back to the Flower Fridge, disappearing inside before I've got a chance to ask when he got out here since I haven't seen him since we left the river. of course I can't exactly ask right in front of the customers. 

"Yeah just about as fine as your punishment was last time?" I remind him, getting a shiver out of him. He groans and crumples a little bit, running swiftly to face me and folding his hands in a pleading manner. 

"But how can I not? Jessica said that Arden might be proposing tonight during the festival! And she wants me to be ready for it so I don't go fainting before I say yes!" He tells me urgently, the light in his eyes making me chuckle. I'd also caught Arden preparing his lucky suit before I left, so it makes sense. After a moment of the puppy dog eyes I finally sigh and roll my own. 

"Oh alright then lover boy, just don't let her catch you if you can help it, and if you do get caught come find me and I'll explain that I gave you permission as future sister in-law" I tell him studiously, giving him a pat on the shoulder and a small crooked smile. "Congratulations in any case though, you both deserve it, make sure you guys have me design your wedding clothes" 

I watch and don't have time to dodge as Jackie lunges across the counter with tears in his eyes and hugs me hard. Arden met Jackie through me, Jackie being my best and possibly only friend other than Savanah and that’s a love hate relationship at best.

"I'll be so nervous all night!" He whispers to me, and I notice he's already shaking. I pat his back and retract myself from him. 

"Well then focus on something else! Like your work!" I admonish meaningfully eyeing the crates of flowers behind him. He rolls his eyes and smiles, nodding at my suggestion and getting to work as I walk back to the front of the shop to collect Gran.

I push the door open and find Gran talking to a couple of tourists, two women of differing ages but not by too much as I assume, probably telling them about the mystery mermaid of lake Veron and smile. 

The story tells of an ancient mermaid by the name of mysterious origin who could shed her scales at will, living in land and sea both. Story goes she fell for two men, one merfolk and one human. Her love soon grew for both so much that when they fought for her hand and killed one another they'd gotten swept into Siren Rapids. she swam to the deepest part of the ocean and begged a shark to take her life and spare her the pain of her broken heart. 

The shark, a villain through and through, took her up on the offer and attacked her only for her to be saved by a sea witch Sirena. When she woke, healed by the good witches power, she scolded her savior for ruining her chance at freedom from her pain. The witch decided then that she would bestow upon the mermaid twin boys, made from the blood of her lovers that had seeped into the sea and brought into the world by only she in her hour of peril. who would bring her and both of her beloveds worlds true happiness for the rest of time. 

She always ends the story by saying that mermaids live among us today, and that when they come of age they produce a child of their own naturally, who will change the world. And that’s how our little town on the ocean cliffs by Lake Veron came to be named. The Lake named after one son and the town Dalkey named after the other and both named after their fathers. Some say the mystery mermaid still lives and in gratitude for the gift given her she protects unawares from the dangerous Siren Rapids where her loves once perished.

I roll my eyes, knowing the story is just myth and go to Gran, resting a palm on her shoulder and catching her attention. The younger of the two, a brunette frowns a little in disappointment at the interruption. 

As Gran turns her grey eyes brighten at my face, her smile accenting her deep laugh lines as she pulls me into a hug. 

"How are you Angelfish? What can I help you with?" she asks me in her deep soothing voice. The woman standing beside her looks to me with a warm smile. I notice that the woman's hair is stark white and thick as my Gran's but that she looks much too young to have hair so white. 

"Well I hate to interrupt but there's actually a very nice bride inside whose looking for your guidance" I turn to the two then and give them a smile, the other woman also tall but with red hair that almost looks dyed if not for the perfect roots. "I'm sorry to steal her from you"

"Don't worry about us, we have some family of our own to wrangle before the party starts" the youngest tells me with a kind smile, waving as they walk away. I wave and also begin to lead my Gran to the door. I begin to fill her in on the situation. 

"Irene has talked her into a trumpet style gown but was originally looking into a ball gown. So maybe a fit and flare?" I say delicately, careful not to be too loud so as not to alert the bride. I start to hear Irene's voice flood through the door, proclaiming that based on her theme colors and the veil she picked out she should have her bridesmaids in crème and blush and Gran smiles warmly. I just catch a glimpse of Irene tugging the woman by the hand through the racks of dresses.

"That sounds like a perfect idea, I should get in there before Irene plans her whole wedding for her. Could you finish sweeping the front of the shop and go across the street to grab some vegetables for tonight?" At my questioning look she continues, explaining for my sake "Your brother is back in town again and I've heard you'll have a visitor from your mother's side of the family tonight so I'm going to make something special"

"Alright! I'll sweep first since you're almost done and then go" I tell her as she nods and heads into the shop. I turn with a content expression on my face as I pick up the broom from where it had fallen, beginning to sweep again. Unable to stop my thoughts from once again turning to that boys face as he came too. 

I shake my head rapidly to rid myself of the thought as I continue my task. I stop only when I hear my name shouted from across the street. I turn and find a boy about Bowen's age running toward me, out of breath as he hands me a letter as he approaches. 

"That’s from Gregor! He wants me to tell you that he knows you didn't mean it and he'll find you tonight at the festival to talk things out but to read that letter! He says you'll know what it means" He pants, leaning against me heavily with a hand on my shoulder. I stare at the letter in my hands with equal parts indignation and shock running through my head. 

"You know where to find him I take it?" I ask the boy, my anger rising as I press the letter back into his hands. The boy nods slowly but doesn't take the letter. 

"Yeah but he said if I didn't get you to read the letter he was gonna be mad at me.." He says almost desperately, I sigh and shove the letter into my pocket. 

"Well then I'll take it, but tell him I meant every word that we're done. I won't be promised to a criminal and a liar and nothing he can say will change my mind" I say calmly, making the boy looks me up and down in shock. No one talks to the mayors boy like this he knows but he doesn't know me. "Will you tell him?"

The boy nods and I pull out a few dollars from my apron pocket, giving them to him. 

"Good, now go on, your mom's gonna be looking for you" I tell him with a small almost imperceptible smile.

I turn away before the boy leaves and hear his footsteps fade, imediately groaning. I broke up with that mutant hating fool while he was in prison and now he's back to his old tricks I'm sure. Still assuming he knows me better than I do, well I'm not going to have it. not after what he did to that boy last summer and what he nearly did to me almost a year before and everything besides. 

I thrust my broom against the wall with anger, unable to focus now even though I'd finished sweeping. I turn toward the market stand across the moderately crowded cobbles. I start toward it and lift my gaze to the sky, seeing dark grey clouds blocking the sun whereas it had been perfectly clear earlier in the day. 

"Looks like Saul's tail was right." I mutter in a huff as I push through the throng to get to the hillside stand. As soon as I'm in range Mr. Coffers head pops up from what he was doing and still looking to the sky he smiles. 

"Ah I could tell your footsteps anywhere, how you been young lady?" The old man asks me, smiling more in my direction as I approach. His bright grey blue eyes staring sightlessly at me but smiling all the same. 

"Eh, got some bad news but I'm hoping to move past it without any real issues. how do you always know it's me even with all of these people mucking about?" I ask him with a laugh, a small sigh escaping me at the dread to come when I have to explain to Gregor we're still through. Mr. Coffers laughs heartily and picks up an apple, tossing it in the air before he answers my question. 

"By the sound of your steps! You walk like you ain't got a care in the world, all nimble and quick but the weight of your steps betrays the weight on your shoulders which you put there yourself. Just like your mother and that Gran of yours!" He grabs up another apple and tosses it to me, and leans forward. "Besides I also heard your Gran ask you to come over after sweeping and when that boy gave you the news I figured you wouldn't be in the sweeping mood. I can also smell that perfume of yours clear as day, wearing your ma's favorite I see- er smell" 

He winks at me slyly and I laugh, holding the apple and grabbing a shopping bag from the compartment under the stand. Mr. Coffers blinks and his mischievous look comes on as he grins. 

"Speaking of that Gran of yours! Where she gonna be ton-" he doesn't get to finish as a small hand darts out and whacks him lightly upside the head, the hand connected to none other than his own granddaughter Marie. I've always been jealous of Marie, so pretty with her dark hair and tan skin even in Ireland, and those big icy blue eyes leave everyone wanting more. 

"If you'd stop hitting on people's Grandmothers you might be able to sell her something" she scolds gently, all of us laughing as we get down to choosing the vegetables. 

After a few moments Mr. Coffers has me at the square card table where he's set up his cash counter, ringing up the cost when suddenly he looks up and sniffs the air. He looks to me with concern and my mind jumps to Gregor but then he looks down to the counter and shakes his head as though reading my thoughts. 

"Ooh.. a storms coming here now, best be ready young lady" he tells me under his breath just as I feel like I'm being watched, about to turn when I hear a familiar voice and stiffen. 

"What do you mean Scott won't let me use the jeep anymore? I'd like to see him try to stop me! Just ask Lanc-" The cocky blonde from earlier states somewhere behind me, I don't dare move until her voice fades out and just as I'm slowly handing Mr. Coffers my money and am about to turn away, telling him to keep the change, I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder. 

"Excuse me? Miss? May I speak to you for a moment?" I was about to just book it but his Russian accent catches me off guard and I turn quickly without really deciding too or thinking it through. Now he'll have seen my face and recognized me.. Damnit.. I scold myself for my foolish curiosity and just as I'd surmised it's the boy from Siren Rapids. 

I feel my breath steadily leave my body as I stare up at him in terror at what he might say… what he might do.. Silence heavy as we just stare at each other..


	3. Chapter 3

After a moment of the heaviest silence I’ve ever felt in my life from him and the obvious fact that I'm not about to respond he continues.

"I wanted to thank you for earlier today, I am truly grateful and your secret is safe with me so you do not need to worry" 

He tells me all this with a smile that makes my pounding heart tighten in confusion. Mr. Coffers quickly walks away with what I thought was an assuming mischievous smile on his face and I almost scowl at the back of his balding head, dirty minded old man. 

"You won't out me?" I ask warily, eying him suspiciously and trying not to blush when the vision of his bare chest and ripped muscles rushes to mind from earlier. He's wearing a white T-shirt, still the same navy blue shorts and sandals. His look is almost wounded and I immediately want to apologize but sigh completely flustered as to how to explain without someone overhearing everything now that the street is becoming congested with tourists and locals alike.

I look away from him for a moment, scanning the crowd before grabbing his hand and pulling him to the alley between Mr. Coffers stand and Grocery and the McColm Bakery. I stop and turn to him, leaning against the brick wall and crossing my arms.

"Look, you must be new here, if the locals hear anything and suspect me to be the Siren they'll tell the watch, and if the watch finds out I'm as good as dead." I explain quickly, trying to whisper and keep an eye on the alley to be sure no one from this nosy little town is eavesdropping. I see his intake of breathe and the shock on his face though, so before he can question why I continue "They're already close, even have accused me before but thankfully my brother is head of the watch and my grandmother lied about where I was to vouch for me, albeit misguidedly given what happened next" 

I look at my shoes as I remember the beating I took from my brothers Cronies when I came from the river that day and they were waiting at the house with blurred photos. That same boy who took the photo's is the one who received the beating from Gregor that put him in the coma he's been stuck in since. I don't realize I've been scowling at the ground until a gentle touch to my elbow brings me back and I look up.

The sweet concerned look to his eyes makes me smile, its refreshing to see such unkempt kindness. I exhale, trying to wrap my mind around how kind this giant of a guy acts compared to how he looks. 

"Look my point is, I appreciate your thanks but it's not needed and I have family who know about me and need to be protected by keeping this secret. Mutants in this town are persecuted, these people don't mess around. If someone's outed they disappear, no one knows where they go but everyone assumes they're run out of town or worse" my heart tightens at this and I have to look away, my eyes drifting to the shop where I can just barely see Gran and Irene through the glass showing the bride a fit and flare, with a sweetheart neckline. they high five when she takes it into the fitting room, dabbing her cheeks with a tissue delicately. I also think of Bowen and Teimoso and Arden, along with Jackie. I know Griffin isn't like us, despises mutants just like the rest of them and allows these beatings and persecutions but if they found out about Arden and I? they'd think he was helping us hide and who knows what would happen then. This whole town would turn against us. "Everyone I know and love, everyone who knew about me and didn't report me would be beaten and probably left for dead. I can't let that happen"

My eyes are still on the alley opening when suddenly I feel his concern give way. the mood suddenly changes and I glance at him, cocking an eyebrow at the change.

"Then it will not happen. You have my word. I owe you my life and I will do whatever is in my power to repay you" My eyes snap back to his face and I blink in surprise at how serious he's gotten all of a sudden. I eye this man up and down a moment and tilt my head as his words bounce back and forth in my mind, not making sense. I feel my heart starting to pound as the cliché notion of an old school blood debt rushes to mind like a freight train and turn quickly to face him, I put my hands up as though to ward off the prospect. 

"W-Wait a minute, the sentiment is very sweet really and I appreciate it but you don't have to do that! Why are you so invested all of a sudden anyway, I don't know your name! So you really don't need to feel obligated to repay me especially after I just told you people who help mutants in this town get hurt" I ask these questions with suspicion creeping in at this strangers determination and take a step away. He seems to catch the implication and I'm relieved when he flinches awkwardly, backing away and extending his hand to me in a more traditional greeting. 

"Forgive me, My name is Piotr Rasputin, I am nineteen years old and I am sorry if I have offended or frightened you. But I was taught by my father that debts are not a thing taken lightly" He tells me with an apologetic smile, I reach out and shake his hand still slightly wary, though he does seem genuine. I notice how gentle he is with even shaking my hand as though afraid to hurt me and the gears start turning in my head once again. 

"My name is Tayla McCathrey, I'm eighteen and all is forgiven, I'm just not used to having someone outside my family knowing what I am. Really though, you don't need to feel obligated to repay me. Tell you what, Keep my secret and save me a dance at the festival and alls square" I relinquish easily, the suspicion draining the more I realize how genuine and sweet this guy is. As I watch his small smile spread he nods a little, conceding to my alternative and then I see a flash of recognition gleam in his eye and he frowns, eyes wide. 

"Wait you are Taylana McC-"

"Tayla! Tay?! where did you go?" I flinch when I hear Teimoso's voice from across the street, and when I look I find him and Irene standing on the store front scanning the crowd. Irene about to find me in the alley with a strange man she's never met before. It occurs to me that not only will I never live down the incessant questions to come if she does find us. I will also have try to keep the eight year old from outing me to our eldest brother the next time we see him. not to mention explaining to Teimoso why I'm hanging around the very guy I had saved earlier. 

"Look I have to go! The festival's gonna start in an hour, go to the square and I'll find you okay?" I tell him directly, moving before he has a chance to even respond and waving to my brother as I'm passing the building to the street, bag in hand.

As I expected, Irene is the one to spot me first and looks up at me with a frown, asking me something as I put my hands on her shoulders and start to push her inside. I stop when she pinches the back of my hand to get my attention. Teimoso looks at me suspiciously and then back in the direction I'd come from. I hope that Piotr is gone or has hidden himself and nearly sigh with relief when he looks back at me with his usual smile. He's slowly removing the pins in his curly hair, freeing it.

"Gran said to take the rest of the day off, she's already sent Jackie home and gave us orders to go down to the festival and meet her there later after she closes up" he tells me excitedly, looping an arm around my shoulders and turning me down the road. Where the rest of the foot traffic was headed. I frown, about to protest when I feel a tug on my apron string and feel it fall away. I look down and find Irene rifling through the pocket, pulling out the letter I'd all but forgotten there and throwing the apron onto the chair next to our jewelry and flower stand. After doing this she catches up and pushes me forward, her hands on my lower back as Teimoso pulls me along by the shoulders. 

"Gran said no staying behind or you're in trouble workaholic" She tells me succinctly, a cocky smile on her face knowing that I won't do anything to upset our grandmother. I roll my eyes and let them push and pull me along, relaxing as I begin to hear the music playing from the square. I nearly shriek when a pair of hands jab into my sides and nearly lose my footing. Teimoso grabs my arm just before I hit the street and turning quickly to face the culprit. 

Bowen laughs uncontrollably behind, holding his sides and pointing at me as I right myself with a smirk and Irene suddenly kicks him in the shin. I crack up as this makes him double over, faking agony and clutching his heart before falling at her feet and wrapping his arms dramatically around her ankles. 

"That wasn't very nice!" She says matter of factly, poking his 'dead' face with her foot, tongue lolling out dramatically and catching plenty of amused and confused faces. He suddenly grins and lithely flips onto his feet from where he lay on his back. 

"Sorry couldn't help it! I haven't been out of the house for anything but school in weeks!" He says emphatically poking our little sisters cheek and causing her to swat his hand away. Teimoso simply catches the younger boy in a headlock and much to Bowens protest digs his knuckles lightly into his tightly curled blonde hair. His blue eyes shining at me beneath them. The teens been grounded for almost a month after he snuck out to go to a rock concert in northern dublin. 

"Well next time say something to me at least, you almost got your teeth knocked out!" My twin reprimands lightly, a smile on his face as the younger pushes his head free and sighs, looking up at the sky happily. 

"Even if its cloudy it’s a perfect day for a festival don't you think?" He exclaims happily as we continue our way down the street with the mob of tourists and locals. In an hour or so the children will be sent home and the real drinking will begin and I've already made arrangements for Irene little to any of my siblings knowledge. Tonight will be a night to act our age and I've made sure of it.

I sigh as Irene comes to walk beside me, holding my skirt in order to stay with us. I smile, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her just a tad closer. Teimoso with his arm looped into mine for the same effect as the streets become more tightly packed. Bowen simply looks around the crowd and as the music gets louder he smiles more and more. I can't help but feel myself mirror the expression, his love for music and concerts is impressive he'll definitely be a truly free spirit when he gets older. I feel Teimoso's arm tighten around mine and Bowen steps in behind me as we get to the narrow opening to the square. 

"Stay with us Iren-" Teimoso starts to yell to her, over the sound of the band and talking people. just as he does Irene gasps in excitement and waves, completely disregarding her brother and darting forward as we reach the squares edge and the canal of people opens and disperses. 

Teimoso begins to go after her, muttering about jinxing good behavior when I tug on his arm and point her out. Bowen's hand goes to my shoulder as he realizes Irene is gone and I feel him on tip toe looking over it. Irene now standing with her friends from town, jumping and laughing, the group of six to ten year olds already hand in hand and playing ring around the rosie. I wave to one of the mothers standing next to the group and she smiles back, returning the gesture. 

"They'll be okay with Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Johnson, I already arranged for her to have a sleep over with them tonight at the house, Mrs. Johnson is already there with the twins" I inform him, giving him a small shove to the shoulder. He gives me an odd look and I roll my eyes. "Basically I arranged for the elder children of the McCathrey tribe to have a night off of baby duty" 

Teimoso's face drops in shock and so does Bowen's but always one for flair Bowens reaction consists of dropping to his knees and bowing before me in mock reverence. Due to the fact of his unoffical house arrest he's been the babysitter for the majority lately. I laugh and grab his shirt by the shoulder dragging him upward as the kids and Mrs. Henderson start to come toward us. 

"We'll be going to explore some carnival booths first and then when they make the announcements we'll head for your house. Does that sound alright everyone?" Mrs Henderson asks the children excitedly, who all seem to cheer happily. Irene looks to me and darts forward, throwing her arms around my waist and I lean down to give her a kiss on the head. 

"Yes that sounds just fine with us, thank you so much for this" Teimoso says gratefully shaking her hands as I kneel in front of Irene. I hold her face and smile at how happy she is. 

"Now you'd better be good okay? You know what not to get into at the house so you've gotta be responsible and let the others know too. And don't forget to feed Saul when you get home?" I tell her lightly, her little face becoming serious as she nods at her tasks. I chuckle a little bit and kiss her forehead again. "I love you missy, now go have fun!" 

Irene nods and jumps over to Bowen, giving him a hug around the waist which he leans down and returns. The little woman then going to Teimoso, about to do the same. 

"Nope! You know the deal young lady! I always get Giant Bear Hugs!" He exclaims loudly, faking a growl as he scoops her up shrieking with laughter and squeezing her, kissing her cheeks dramatically to embarrass her. When he lets her down she giggles and goes back to her friends, one of the little girls pointing out her shoes and saying she likes them with her pretty dress. Making Irene smile and look back to me as Mrs. Henderson waves to us again and takes her hand, leading them away. I nod to her and blow a kiss, which as usual she catches and puts to her heart turning to the rest as the grade school teacher leads them through the crowd. 

I stand and dust off my hands, resting them on my hips for a moment. 

"Alright, what should we do first? Anyone have any ideas?" Teimoso asks carefully, and it hits me that I'm not really sure. we don't usually do things without the babies or Irene along. 

"Huh.. Good question." I relinquish, looking around at all the craft and carnival booths. All of a sudden I hear another familiar voice yelling 'Tei, Tei, Tei, Tei, Tei, Tei, Tei, Tei!' repeatedly and in swift succession so as to be barely discernible, just as I'm turning to see who it is I feel Teimoso ripped from my side and tackled to the street by a girl no taller than his shoulder.

Bella wraps her lithe legs around his torso as they go down, knowing by now that he will catch their fall and just as predicted Teimoso stops his descent in a pushup position with her on his back. Without even giving her a warning he pushes up from the ground and loops his arms underneath her, holding her piggy back as she kisses his cheek. 

"I didn't mean to surprise you! You're getting slow love!" She teases him, looping her arms around his chest beneath his arms. She rests her head against my brothers back and turns her smiling eyes on us for the first time since she arrived. "Hey you two!" 

We both smile and greet the excitable woman, deciding to start walking past the booths and bars to get an idea of what we'll do. After passing a few particularly packed pubs and jewelry stands Bella suddenly perks up and points out the sausage vendor and suggests we get food before the band begins to play on stage. Always the one with good ideas.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: implications of abuse, attempted domestic abuse and violence, panic attack symptoms.

After we've acquired our food and drink we head back to the busy square and Bowen points out the stage. Where the mayor will make his annual announcements and whatever band they've conjured up will play. We finally find a patio table and sit, plastic knife and fork at the ready, as we talk and eat I notice Isabella practically bouncing in her seat. She glances at Teimoso off and on and suddenly she seems to make up her mind. she turns and stares at me expectantly, I know exactly what she wants. 

"How are you Isa? Anything new?" I ask with a warm amused smile, careful not to give away the prompting in the question. The two have been together for two and a half years while she's been here for school abroad from France. She aims her sunbeam grin my way in thanks and giggles, getting her boyfriends attention by resting her hand in the crook of his elbow and he turns to her. A smile of his own on his face as he stands another bite and listens in. his dual tone eyes warm and loving when turned to her as always.

"I've been doing well thank you, I do have some wonderful news. As everyone here knows my studies are about over and because of that I've been approved for a flat just up the street so I'll be staying in Dalkey permanently" She says excitedly, Teimoso almost chokes on his bite of sausage and onion and his gaze flicks to her face. Bowen laughs and leans over to her, a hand on her shoulder he shoves her playfully. 

"Congrats! That’s amazing Bella!" The fourteen year old exclaims, Teimoso's face looks conflicted though, torn between being happy for her staying and worrying about her interests I'm sure. This has been a subject of many a midnight talk or rather therapy session between my twin and I. So afraid she'd go back and things would fall apart for them meanwhile understanding that Paris is where all of her family resides. He grins after gulping down some water and turns to her, taking her hands in his gently. 

"So you'll be staying? But what about your mother?" He asks carefully, I chuckle a bit, I can tell he doesn't want to talk her out of staying but also wants to look out for her. Isabella laughs and takes his hands, interlacing their fingers easily as she holds his to her heart. 

"She is the one who told me to stay, she assures me that they will visit often and she knows I will be much happier here with you" She says softly, her gentle words almost lost in the crowd around us as they stare lovingly at each other. Bowen rolls his eyes as Teimoso pulls her into a hug and gentle kiss, gagging dramatically as they both laugh at him. 

"That’s alright little brother, you'll find a love one day and when you do Irene will be the one gagging and you'll find yourself saying the same things" He tells his brother, standing and pulling Isabella from her seat dramatically. A mischievous smirk on his face as he guides his lover closer and dips her for effect, kissing her once more. I laugh as Bowen rolls his eyes and smiles, throwing his balled up napkin at them. 

"Alright, Alright I get it! your love is sublime! Now come finish your sausage or you'll find it has miraculously walked away and onto my plate" The younger declares, moving his fork slowly toward his elders plate. In response to which Teimoso quickly rights Isabella, lifts his boot and stomps down on Bowens wrist halfway across the table. 

I scrunch my nose in disgust and shove both appendages off as the two laugh. After another ten minutes of laughter and jokes and pondering what band will play. I notice with a chill that though the sky has gotten darker. the clouds parting in the orange sky as the sun sets. In another few minutes we'll have a beautiful view of the stars as the storm moves out to the cliffs. I watch as the square brightens gradually. lighted one by one, using the traditional fire lanterns on the edge of the crowd.

As the mayor comes to the stage, most of the crowd hushes for him.the four of us delaying our conversation for a moment as he picks up the microphone. 

"First of all let me assure you that I will be keeping this brief, Welcome to Dalkey, the jewel of Dublin's annual St. Patricks Day Festival!" after this the already drunken crowd cheer, including us four at our table. The mayor has to wait for the cheering to stop to continue and nods contentedly, he waves his hand and the crowd quiets again. "I won't go into how we've become one of the number one tourist attraction right behind capitol cities and Loch Ness! And I won't say how this years festival turn out has tripled since last year!" 

I roll my eyes at the grandstanding and take a swig from my cider to tune him out.

“He acts like he personally brought everyone here” I grumble under my breath, rolling my eyes into my bottle. When I finally look up at Teimoso and Isa I find the two with strange expressions on their faces. Both looking to me intermittently, Isa chewing her bottom lip nervously. Bowen suddenly scoots closer to me on the bench seat as I suspiciously take another slow draught. His face is suddenly sullen, almost angry as he drops his arm over my shoulder. Suddenly tuning into the conversation now that I'm not preoccupied with my own thoughts. 

"-et me first just say how great it is to finally be back home after my long vacation!" I instinctually gasp and cider goes down the wind pipe, forcing me to sputter and cough as Gregor's voice filters down from the stage. Bowen quickly removes his arm to thump me on the back, bringing the cider up out of my lungs and allowing me to properly breathe once again. I look up to the stage and find him there, standing next to his father and scanning the crowd carefully until he comes across our table and smiles. A beer bottle in his hand, he raises it as we make eye contact. "Lets make a toast, for all our loved ones! To forgiveness, To the end of strife and all the things that keep lovers apart and to new beginnings with them" 

I glare as the crowd cheers and stand, walking to a garbage bin nearby and dumping the contents of my own bottle into it pointedly. Signifying that I won't be toasting to that, especially not if he's the one making the toast. 

To which I see his eyes flash and he looks away as his father takes the microphone from his hand. I'm walking back to the table as his father announces the band and they come onstage, the mayor starting the festival with his own blessing as the music begins. 

I look back to the table to find Isa pulling Tiemoso onto the dance floor and spot Bowens bobbing blonde curls somewhere at the front. I also notice Gregor descending the stage stairs and heading my way, my heart skipping in dread as I look for a way out of this horrible conversation to come. Suddenly I notice a rather tall black haired man who seems to be looking for someone as he waits by the town square fountain as the crowd moves toward the stage as the band, High Kings, begins to play 'Little Beggarman'

With relief and a bit of shame I then finally remember promising to meet him here and look at my watch, an hour on the dot. Thankfully I’m not late. I smile and make my way toward him, thank god he's punctual. I don't have to push through the crowd as I approach and I notice that he's changed clothes, now wearing a sharp looking white button down and dark colored jeans. I suddenly wish I’d put on something I felt more myself in but the dress does make me look good so it’s not a total loss

As I approach he turns his gaze to me and smiles, looking relieved that I didn't ditch him. His expression changes to confusion however as I quickly loop my arm in his and pull him to the dance floor as the song reaches its arch. 

"What-" I pull his arm around my waist hastily, taking his other hand in mine and pulling him into the dance swiftly. 

"Hope you don’t mind Piotr but I'm using you as a deterrent for a moment, We'll talk but I've found myself a gnat to swat" I tell him quickly, not even glancing to where I can now see Gregor standing at my table at the edge of the crowd positively fuming at missing his chance to catch me alone. Somehow Piotr catches on and looks for a moment before turning his eyes back to mine. 

"Do not worry, this way we will be able to talk more privately" He says calmly, though I see the undercurrent of concern in his eyes as he glances back and forth from me to Gregor. I smile again at the genuine empathy and laugh a little as he takes more of the lead, dancing surprisingly well as we whirl about the crowd. As we get farther from him though I notice Gregor pull out his phone and begin to speak into it. "So tell me, Is this town really so against mutants that you can't even be known as one?"

"Well not the townspeople themselves, mostly just the mayor and his precious project. The Watch, it's basically a militia formed under the mayor and headed by my older brother. My family and his founded the town and his son, whom you fortunately haven't had the displeasure of meeting, is one of the worst" I tell him, a taut smile on my face at the very thought of that night. Piotr blinks at my vehemence and gently twirls me out, speaking lowly as he brings me back in close. 

"It seems as though you do not like the mayors son" he questions, his amusement apparent at my disdain. I shrug my shoulders then and let him lead me through the steps as the song changes. 

"Yes well we have a history that I wish he would forget" I tell him frankly, causing a gleam of curiosity to grace his cyan blue eyes and crinkle them at the corners. I smile up at him, I'm not that much shorter than he is but I still have to look up at him. As such I almost stop dancing as I catch a glimpse of the stars and clearing clouds over Piotr's head. 'Red is the Rose' beginning just as I do makes the moment all the more gorgeous. The beauty of it makes me smile, forgetting the world for a moment. Piotr notices, looking up and carefully keeping me moving. 

"The stars are beautiful are they not? You do not see stars like this in america" I hear him ponder lightly and I chuckle, nodding a bit. The moment shattered as I hear Gregors laugh behind me a ways and as Piotr begins to speak again I squeeze his shoulder in warning.

"So tell me, are you here on holiday with your friends? Or did you come together on the cruise ship in harbor?" I ask him changing the topic to something less condemning, he shrugs his broad shoulders slightly and smiles for the interruption. 

"Well my friends and I actually came here with our professors, he was due for a trip to see family. He thought that since we were having world history finals soon we could come along" He tells me kindly, though something tells me that he isn't telling me everything. I raise an eyebrow at him and his expression drops a little, opening his mouth to explain further when I hear Gregor's voice faintly telling people to get out of his way and subsequent protests. 

"You're quite the dancer Piotr, I wish I could dance so well" I tell him, stating this a bit loudly so as to change the topic. I slow our dancing just as I feel eyes on me, tensing up as Piotr looks over my shoulder. I take a deep breath to keep my composure as his voice suddenly echoes over the music. Piotr glances down at me briefly and I realize just how stiff I've gotten, staring at the point where his shoulder meets his neck.

"May I cut in for a dance with my fiancé please? I really have to talk to her" I bristle and nearly turn to punch his assuming teeth in. Instead I sigh, glancing over my shoulder in disgust as Piotr stops. A familiar brunette boy stands there instead of the blonde I remember. the angular jaw and high cheekbones though I recognize beneath those mocking green eyes that I have come to hate. I turn out to face him as dancers make a circle for the three of us, Piotr stays at my side, silently turned toward me almost protectively, as though ready to cut between us if he has too. My eyes soften and I just barely nod gratefully to him before turning my eyes back to my ex.

"Well seeing as I'm not your fiancé and I've told you this time and again I'd say no. You cannot cut in and I’d rather not talk to you" I tell him blandly, grasping Piotr's elbow where it rests like stone around me, his hand gentle at my lower back as though to reassure me he's still there. Gregors face smiles at me understandingly, his eyes though are hard as he takes a step toward us. 

"But love, didn't you get my letter explaining everything that happened while I was away? I know you didn't mean those nasty things you said, of course you're still my fiancé." He says tersely, reaching out a hand for me to take and glancing at the people around us pointedly. The dancers have slowed at his domineering tone. a few looking at me with pity and some looking ready to intervene themselves. I notice after a moment of ignoring him that he glances pointedly at Piotr who is a good foot taller than his 5'10' as though trying to intimidate him. I roll my eyes and can't help the laugh that bursts forth. they both look at me as though I've grown another head as Piotr and I finally disengage completely from each other. 

"Don't talk about going to jail as though you were on vacation Greg, you sound ignorant." I tell him point blank as I turn back towards Piotr whose expression has become stony as Gregors face darkens a few shades, the latter looking like he's about to protest again.

"I don't know how you misunderstand what I meant when I said I won't be promised to a Liar and a bigot. but I'll tell you now for the last time and I expect it to never come up again after I do." As I speak I lift a hand and step toward him, every fiber of my being thrumming with stone cold annoyance. Gregor's face blanches and I freeze as the familiar glint comes to his eyes, signaling a meltdown as I continue albeit more carefully now that he might explode. "I've decided for my own sake that you aren't right for me and despite being a spoiled little boy you won't be getting everything you want this time. I meant every word and you need to accept it and move on as I have" 

After I say this I hear some clapping and find local girls laughing and cheering me on. I shake my head and turn away quickly from him knowing that this will make him snap. 

I pull Piotr along with me as I start for the edge of the crowd. I know if he explodes that I'll be able to run faster if not hindered by other people who could get hurt. I hear a chorus of gasps and shouts of warning just as I feel a hand curl into my hair. I tense, expecting the pull but simultaneously I feel Piotr disappear from my side, followed by screams. Gregor spitting curses, I turn quickly and find Piotr holding him in a full nelson as though he were a rag doll. 

Gregors eyes having changed from their usual green to a startling rust brown, burning with rage. I find my eyes dry from holding them open in shock and blink, inwardly flinching as my hand lifts to where he had tried to grab me by the hair. I stand stock still as I watch him thrash uselessly in Piotr's grip, not even swaying him as my heart pounds.

"You think I'm not good enough for you just cause I went to jail, you stupid cunt! Well fine then! You were always soft on freaks anyway I'm glad I beat that asshole into a coma! Your whole Mutie loving family deserves to fuckin rot! I thought I could save you from them my dad gave you one last chance!" He rants, even the music has stopped at this point and security is making its way toward us. the crazed look in his eyes hardens at my shocked expression and I swear that his eye color fluctuates at seeing me like this. "Oh don't worry love, I'll accept the end of our relationship. I'd rather not be with a mutant lover anyway especially one with the blood in her family. Oh that reminds me, have you checked on your Gran at all tonight? I'm sure she would have been home by now. I heard she might have got some bad news and had to leave town" 

It takes a moment but when his meaning hits I feel my already pounding heart quicken as the world greys around the edges. A flash of him on the phone near our table before my eyes.

I feel a shuddering breath pull into my lungs as I'd forgotten to breathe, I want to run. To get to the shop before they do, to save her but my body won't listen to me. it won't obey I feel numbed to the core as my heart starts to hammer increasingly faster against my rib cage. I don't even look at him as he continues. I barely hear him as my inner bitch starts screaming at my body to move, begging me to get there in time. I barely see Piotr lose his cool and shake him to get him to stop talking as security reaches us.

My eyes drop to the ground then and I feel a hand on my arm as the world sways. it's enough to jostle me out of the stupor, to regain my function. 

I see Piotr has handed Gregor over to security and come to me. I blink rapidly my mind racing, trying to process the implications here. I step forward once but stop, the urge to wrap my hands around his throat almost over powering as he continues to run his mouth. 

"Don't worry baby, I called some friends of mine earlier to check up on her for you! They should have been there almost twenty minutes ago! Feel free to crawl back once you see he-" 

"Shut it!" I snap, my voice harsh and almost animalistic as the thrum in my chest gets momentarily more intense. I see his eyes, Piotr's and some from the crowds all grow wide at me as I stare at Gregor and point at him weakly as I begin to step away from them, looking for the fastest route out of the crowd. My eyes drift to the cobblestone's of the square as I turn from them. My panic turns to something made of stone, calm and serene yet thrumming with rage as I speak. I feel as though I'm expelling fire with every word my breath hot enough to warm my chest. "If they've hurt her I'll kill you, that I will promise to you"

I don't hesitate after that, my legs sprinting before I've even gave them the order. I hear him scoff as the officers lead him away. Piotr calling for me to wait as he tries to get through the mob. I don't even hear the rest of what he said as I launch forward, crashing through the dancers not caring how many people I knock over. As soon as I clear the crowd I push myself to top speed. His toast on stage wasn't for a new beginning with me, it was a sick promise for an end to what or who he thinks is keeping us apart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (TRIGGER WARNING: violence, racism, attempted murder, mentions of past violence, blood, domestic violence, elder abuse)

(Trigger warning:Elder Abuse)

'I can't let this happen, I can't let this happen, I can't let this happen..' my thoughts crash in my mind like waves breaking against the coasts, my heart hammering in fear. My chest tightening, the words twisting and turning in my head screaming at me to go faster. 'I can't let them hurt her!'

I can only hear my right gasps as I turn down the side streets toward the shop, skidding to a stop as I barrel around the corner. My eyes wide as I find Gran out in front of the shop standing closely with four men who tower over her small frame.

I shake my head to clear it and decide it might be better not to tear in like a bat out of hell. 

The possibility that Gregor hasn't called them to give the final order just yet. I know somewhere deep down that security won't let him call until they've detained him properly in the precinct which gives us at least a half hour even if the mayor doesn't bail him out immediately. so I force deep breathes and slow my pace, even though my body wants nothing more than to get her away from these hateful people. 

I'm just in ear shot when I hear Gran's voice, a lump growing in my throat at the growing urge to just grab her and bolt. I can only thank Arden for the poorly remembered self defense lessons he's been forcing us to take with him. 

"-ow you listen to me young man! I won't take that tone from anyone and I won't be called a criminal on my own doorstep!" She protests, wagging a finger in one man’s face. suddenly his hand whips out and catches her wrist and He wrenches her forward. in a blind instant of adrenaline I forget coming in calmly. only fifteen feet from them I burst forward, shoving him aside with an elbow in the ribs. he begins with 'What the fu-' as I knock the air out of his lungs and I watch in shock as he drops to his knees. I can feel the buzz of adrenaline in my ears as I think of things to say to convince them to leave her be and find that before I'm even sure of it my mouth is spewing.

"I'm the Siren, I'm the one that’s been saving people from the rapids and sabotaging your cars and rallies. In the one that set your search boats on fire last month.” I compose myself as they stare at me. “Yeah, I'm sure you haven't told anyone about those especially not my brother, he'd have a fit if he knew you let little old me get in your way" I assure them, staring him down as he kneels, his buddies at his side. I put myself between them standing as tall as I can. 

I pull Gran behind me, this intimate detail about their operation making their eyes widen in recognition. It's at this moment my inner bitch snarkily reminds me that telling them you're the exact person they've been searching for for months was probably not the best course of action here. They slowly stand and begin to come toward us. 

I feel her hands on my shoulders but don't hear what she might have said. my adrenaline riddled brain tries to recall Ardens lessons again but draws a blank. 

"What have you done?! Why did you tell them? They wouldn't have killed me! Your brother is their leader! But when they find out you lied to him all along-" I start pushing her backwards toward the store as the men are distracted with their buddy.

"I know" I cut her off there and she doesn't try to speak again as I take another step, almost too the door. I suddenly spot the alley a little bit to our right with the empty crates and store front stands carefully stacked inside. 

(Trigger warning: violence, gore attempted murder, near assault) 

Then I get another better idea. 

"You just made a big mistake bitch" another fumes as I start to slowly sidestep the group as the rest check on their friend. I turn my head just slightly to Gran. 

"Once you have the alley behind you I want you to run, I'll be right behind you. Just lock yourself inside the cooler and turn on the alarm" I whisper carefully, unsure of what I'm going to do as Grans fingers dig into my shoulder. 

"you had better be right behind me young lady" She whispers carefully, there rest of the men turning toward us. as the one I elbowed struggles to regain his breathe. I reach behind me and corral my Grandmother into the alley, hearing her begin to quietly make her way. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding when I hear the door open and the soft melodic beeping of the alarm engaging. I'm about to follow when one of the men notices her absence, shouting something I don't catch to the others. 

Their ringleader swiftly stands from where he knelt. I take a deep breathe and my body moves before I tell it too once again. I find my hands gripping a stack of crates and pulling them over across the alley, making a cave in of boxes that they won't be able to fit through. I don't turn away from the mound, she won't forgive me for lying to her I know, especially if something bad happens to me. Which at this point I'm very sure it will but honestly I had every intention of following her at first so technically I didn't li-

I'm wrenched out of my thoughts when someone grips my arm, wrenching me so hard I come off my feet and stumble. He pulls me to my feet roughly. before I know it I'm bringing my foot down hard as I can on my captors foot. I start screaming unintelligibly, cursing so harshly I hear one of them laugh as I try to get someones, anyones attention. He doubles over as I thrust my foot once again into his, releasing me and howling in pain. I scramble as his drunk friends laugh, sprinting in the other direction. 

I look back as the ringleader yells for the others to follow me and I'm relieved to find that all four of them do. I turn down the same side street I used to get to Grans just as they turn the corner. As soon as I get out of their eyesight I slow my pace, ducking down another alley.

A moment later they run past the entrance and scoff at their stupidity. I could swear they'd been right behind me how did they not see me run this way. 

I nearly shriek as my thoughts are interrupted by my cell phone, spewing Rap Devil. In response to which I rip it out of my dress pocket and answer it to Ardens voice. 

" Hey, Where are you? We just got to the festival. Jackie said yes! Teimoso says you disappeared, everything's arranged for meeting uncl-”

"They know! They thought Gran was me, I had to tell them! They would have hurt her-"

"Wait what? What are talking about? Where are you?" Arden cuts me off, suddenly confused. I groan in frustration and jump behind a dumpster as I hear voices coming up the alley, not bothering to check who it once I see the town square with all the festival goers at the end.

"They thought Gran was the Siren and Gregor set them on her. they had her cornered at the shop. You need to get your ass over there! I led them away but you need to get Gran out and away from here. she has the alarm on and she’s locked herself in the flower fridge." I tell him quickly, my voice hushed as I listen to the voices coming toward me and realize that their women’s voices. I put a hand to my heart in relief and stand, stepping out onto the cobbles. I walk briskly forward and past them toward the outlet onto the square where the dancers are still circling and cheering. 

"Alright we're on our way, just stay put-" A calm voice that I don't recognize comes over the phone but as an explosion of pain blossoms across the back of my head I lose the rest. 

I groan and force my eyes to open again what feels like only a moment later. I find a pair of heeled boots in front of me. I lift my head to find one woman holding a two by four of wood and the other speaking on my phone. 

"Don't worry, your little freak is gonna be disposed of soon enough, No one will ever know that this little bitch was right under Griff's nose." I try to move but my pounding head and body won't let me. it won't listen to my commands and I find panic sinking in as my eye's start to close. Slowly losing the rest of her words to the void. My consciousness fading once again as fast as it had come back.

*Teimoso's POV* 

"What do you mean they took her?!" I bellow at the man I'd only just learned was our Uncles coworker Logan. we had already begun to sprint towards the Shop. Somehow the man was keeping up with Arden and the muscled giant who'd called him easily. whereas I had to double time it just to be heard. 

I can hear Isa trying her hardest to keep up with me, her hand in mine. I realize I can barely keep up at this pace. I don't want to let go and lose her for fear of increasing the chance of her getting caught by the Watch. I stop abruptly, letting the brunette crash into my back and I bend my knees to grab her thighs and pull her up on my back. I keep going as Logan slows his stride to meet mine, leaving Arden and the man I now recognize as the one Tay saved earlier In the lead. 

"Your anti-mutant group says they’ve taken her, they muttered something about keeping people from knowing she was under a griff's nose, I assume this is your older brothers twin we ain't met yet?" Logan questions, I keep my eyes trained forward as we go but the other two round the corner and I lose sight of them. Only to have sudden shouts of shock and pain come back to us momentarily afterward.

As the rest of us, Logan, Jackie, Isa, Bowen and I turn the corner after them Arden has dropped one man. While Peter has the last by the collar, holding him a clear foot off the ground. My eyes wide as we watch as the smaller man spills his guts. 

"-took her to the bluffs on the outskirts of town! Its where they always go I swear! Griff says it’s the best place to dump them! They rough'em up and once their unconscious they're thrown over the edge where the rocks are! It’s the only place where the rip tides and th-the rocks are sharp enough to tear them apart and hide the bodies!" the terrified man stumbles, making me stop in my tracks. Griff is actually ordering his men to kill mutants? Isa slides off my back and runs to join Jackie as he unlocks the door to the shop and they disappear. 

I'm still dazed by this as Arden straightens and turns toward the man as Isa and Jackie exit the shop with Gran in tow. Suddenly Logans hands drop heavily onto my shoulders, pulling me out of my thoughts and turning me roughly toward him.

"Where are those cliffs?" 

*Tayla's POV* 

I feel my heart thundering in my chest as I'm dragged from the truck bed I woke up in. Rain has begun to drizzle down as the two beside me throw me out. I hit the ground hard, my shoulder making first impact. I gasp as I immediately recognize the cliffs outlining where the ocean, Lake Veron and Siren Rapids all meet. The next thing my gaze turns over is the group standing around, waiting as I'm pulled to my feet and dragged toward them. Arms held tightly behind my back.

'This is fitting, you'll finally find out what happened to that poor boy who was beaten into a coma because of you' The nagging voice in my head jeers, though at the moment I find myself deeply terrified. My eyes flit from face to face without taking in a thing. I know I have to calm down or I'll have no chance in hell of surviving this.

"It never occurred to me that your Gran would lie for you" A dark voice I know instantly speaks up. the others turn towards the line of cars ten feet to our left. All parked safely away from the edge. I follow their gaze, eyes bulging when I find Gregor walking towards us with a metal pipe in his hands. I begin to hyperventilate as I'm shoved to my knees, so much for staying calm.

I don't say a word, my mouth just hangs open, dry as hells dessert as he continues toward me. 

The rain starts to come down now, harder than before. my vision blacking at the edges, the landscape disappearing until I can see only his face. His dark navy eyes burning into mine, hooded with that familiar rage. My chest rises and falls rapidly. I'm unable to catch my breath as a sharp ringing resounds in my ears. 

"Especially to us, if she weren't such a pillar here I'd have punished her myself but you, you'll be forgotten just like the rest" As his step suddenly quickens I feel the hands on my biceps fall away. The two holding me jump out of range as he lifts the pipe. I instantly lift my arm to block it, words spilling from my mouth. 

"Gran knows, and so do-" I close my eyes on impact, sharp pain raging through my forearm. I nearly bit through my lip as I hear it snap, taking breath from my lungs. I slump to the ground in the fetal position as he starts screaming, covering my head and neck as he swings the pipe again and again. 

"YOU LIED TO ME! YOU LIED TO ME AND MADE ME THINK YOU WERE NORMAL YOU FREAK! YOU HUMILIATED ME AND NOW I HAVE TO DO THIS TO YOU! DO YOU SEE HOW THIS IS YOUR FAULT YOU STUPID BITCH? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!" He rages, I try my best not to scream but as each blow lands I find little sobs escaping me. 

when he stops for a moment I peek out just as he throws the pipe wildly aside. This causing the others, who I realize were cheering until now, to jump aside and laugh at the poor fool who caught it in the knee, tumbling to the ground and rolling in pain. I gasp as Gregor shoves a fist into my hair and drags me across the ground like I were a doll. "DO YOU SEE HOW THIS IS YOUR FAULT! Now I have to kill you with my own two hands before Griff ever finds out about you or else he'll kill me too!"

I scratch at his hands and grip them tightly as he suddenly pulls me to my feet and thrusts me forward. His arm looping an arm around my waist to hold me out over the edge of the cliff. I stare through blurred vision at the jagged rocks and churning waters of Lake Verons sheer cliffs where the lake meets the open ocean. I try to wrench my head to the side as I realize how close he is when he leans into my ear. 

"I will say one thing though, you sure were fun, maybe I should let the other guys here see how fun you were.." He whispers to me, pulling me back again and throwing me to the ground. Mud splashing into my face as my red curls fall loosely from their bindings into my eyes. 

I look up, seeing the group of mostly men start to inch forward with sick grins on their faces. I feel my breath come faster as I scramble backwards, getting to my feet shakily. I look down at myself, my mother's dress covered in dirt and grass and my tights torn beyond repair. A bright red and purple bruise along my arm which I find held tightly across my chest. I find similar bruises all up and down my body. Then I see a hand enter my vision, reaching for the bow on my waist and I pull away, sobbing. 

I start to feel a pressure in my chest, just behind my sternum, twisting slowly, pulsing with my racing heart. 

I force myself to open my eyes at the enclosing group of men. I look pleadingly to the women who've gone to the trucks and cars, disinterested in my plight. I find my voice has disappeared as I take another step back, trying to stamp down the odd feeling in my chest to focus on this more pressing matter but it just gets worse. I hear someone mutter about hurrying this up and bringing out the next freak and it makes my heart beat faster. I know I should try to run, to fight, do something but my body won’t move except to step back.

"G-Get away from me" I try to shout but it comes out meek and makes a few of the men even laugh and coo in fake comfort. I shriek s as my foot almost goes over the edge as I continue to dodge their advances. I feel the air around me grow dense, somehow energized by my fear and I look behind me quickly. The rapids so far below capturing my attention as the heat in my sternum spreads, swirling around as a ringing noise overtakes my surroundings. I close my eyes, tears dropping to the ground as I hunch over. I hold myself tightly, almost crumpling with the terror ripping through me and take one deep breath. 

"Somebody Help!" I finally scream, as I do a bright flash of blue passes beyond my shut eye lids and screams echo around me. I open my eyes slowly, greeting me is the sight of over ten men laying along the ground, each over five feet away. The grass itself is ripped from the ground in a perfect ten foot circle around me while the women stare in disbelief at a rolled slug bug car that had been the closest to us and by far the lightest. I look down at myself again and blink as I'm met with a pretty blue glow outlining my body. I also notice faint markings pulsing on my forearms and legs, but they're so light and the adrenaline is so high I can't be sure if I'm seeing straight.

I stare at my hands and then at the ring of upturned ground around me. Body trembling so badly I can't control myself as car horns blare. 

"What did you do?" I nearly jump out of my skin and look up just in time to catch a hard hook to the face, knocking me to the ground. Gregors suddenly over me, throwing punch after punch into my face. Why wasn't he thrown back like the others? He was behind me.. He should have gone over the cliff! "What did you do you freak?!" 

I try to push my hands in front of my face, to block his punches as I've seen Arden do in his matches. they just keep coming until suddenly he wraps a hand around my throat and starts to squeeze. I try to claw at his eyes, trying anything to loosen his grip as the men around us begin to wake up, the cheering starts anew as my world dims. 

'Fake your death, fake It now!' my brain echo's so panicked I don’t even recognize the voice. I force myself to go limp, letting my hands drop to my sides. I hope beyond hope that he'll fall for it. memories of the day leading up to now flash in my mind, thinking of one way just one other way to escape this. He loosens his grip suddenly, leaning forward until his head is buried in my curls against my neck.

"Fuckin bitch, .. You made me do this.. I loved you and you made me do this" He whispers, I work hard to hold my breath, to not move away in disgust as his lips brush my neck but then I feel something cold and sharp delve into my midsection. "I know you're faking.. But soon you won't be.. Why couldn’t you just be honest like any other girl? How am I going to explain how I didn't know till now to them? So much effort.."

I open my eyes as he lifts himself away, my gaze flicking to the handle sticking out of me at an angle. It's almost surreal I don’t even feel the pain yet but I know I will. as he stands, moving to my side to receive claps on the back and praise. I look into his eyes one more time, the green color having returned as he presses a foot against my side. 

A moment later he's pushed me over the edge of the cliffs. 

A moment later I hear the group yell at him that he should have waited till I was dead for real, only to have him repeat that in a second I will be. But then their voices are too far away, the air rushing through my hair and pulling it out of its ties as I turn and face the rapidly approaching ocean. 

I feel the rest of the world fall away at the beautiful sound of waves hitting rocks.

'At least I'll feel the waves one last time' I think to myself, shockingly calm, gripping the blade handle as I fall. I begin to think about the last time I was here, when I changed for the first time…

**

I remember how Evelyn and Brandon were walking toward me from the road. I'd spent the whole afternoon and night on these cliffs after I found out from going through my brothers office that he was in charge of The Watch, not only that but Gregor was one of the worst ones, documented beatings and probable executions that he was being investigated for. 

I hadn't wanted to believe it, Everything had been so perfect before that. We'd talked about marriage and pre-marital counseling to iron out our issues. I thought I'd be able to tell him that both of my parents were carriers for the xgene and that he'd protect me like he always promised. 

I had finally answered the phone about an hour before for Evelyn, my oldest friend and I heard her call my name behind me. I stood and turned to find her husband with her. They were leaving to France later this month. another person I loved was leaving but then they started running and waving me in. I was confused at first but then I recalled how my heart stopped as the land I was standing on gave way. 

Before I'd realized what was happening I found myself falling, staring up at a cloudless starry night sky. Then I'm underwater with nothing to do but sink because the horrible truth was. 

I couldn't swim..

I held my breathe and watched the water envelope me. The sea water burns my eyes but I couldn't close them. I started to feel a burning in my legs and that's when I started to thrash and kick and make no progress whatsoever. 

I heard a thudded splash and looked up, my lungs starting to scream for air as I spotted Brandon amid the waves. He, an experienced Navy Sailor dove in to save me despite stormy seas. I tried to kick my legs to meet him but I can't anymore they won't even move, I just sank faster. 

I think of the things I said to everyone before I left the house, those nasty things and feel like kicking my own ass to the curb. I continue my thrashing determined to survive and apologize. until a hand grabs onto my arm and pulls me up through the water, slowly and surely to the surface. 

All of a sudden bubbles burst out of no where from beneath us and we both look down at the same time. We swat at them just as we're about to break surface. I felt like my legs were on fire now and I couldn't help but scream in pain. 

After the pains faded and the waters gone away my legs felt like they were bound. I still couldn't move them apart to help Brandon swim. Brandon pulls me up over the water, I gulp down air and he starts moving us to the nearest alcove in the rock. 

"what's happening?!" I shout to him over the sound of the waves, he shook his head. I try to will myself lighter and easier to drag through the water since I can't seem to do anything else to help. 

When we reach a small cave in the rock Brandon pulls himself up first, never letting go of my arm. 

"alright I'm gonna pull you up nice and slow, you ready?" he asks, I nod and he grabbed my other arm at the shoulder. He dragged me higher and higher, grunting at my dead weight. "alright now get your leg up there" 

"I can't!" I say in complete panic as I realize can't move my legs at all. they feel so strange now as though they've gotten longer and thicker. "I can't move my legs Brandon!" 

"what? Did you hit anything on the way down?" I look up at him as he speaks and shake my head. 

"no I just.. Whatever happened it was when I hit the water!" I shout up to him, the waves splashing up against my back somehow soothing me. I try to breathe slower but it just doesn't help ease the fear. 

"okay, it's okay, don't panic, I'll just pull you up here, turn over so we don't gouge your stomach with the rock, it's pretty jagged" Brandon orders readjusting his grip on me as I do what I'm told. He starts to pull and I try my best to help, I look up at him just before my waist comes over the rock, not wanting to look at my legs just in case they're banged up or broken and bloodied. As I'm pulled all the way up we hear an almost metallic scraping and he stumbles back I fall against his chest. 

"is it bad?" I ask him quietly, my voice strained in terror at his dumbstruck expression. 

" I-I don't know what to call it Tay" he says quietly, he just stares at my legs in complete shock.

"Here just let me-" I try to push myself up, trying to bend my left leg so I can stand but as I do I feel as if both legs moves as one. I stop my sentence right there and slowly look down. 

What I see causes me to scream bloody murder which in turn snaps Brandon out of his stupor. He claps a hand to my mouth and I continue to scream and sob as he awkwardly puts his other arm around me, pulling me into a hug until I'm finally consoled enough to stop screaming. 

My legs have merged into one long baby blue appendage with white gem toned scales fluttering vertically along it like beautiful barbs. They glow brightly in every color as though they were pushing through the baby blue skin beneath and adjusting, glittering like a thousand opals. The process itches so badly I want to take sand paper to it, a strange fluke of the same opal tone branches out delicately at the end with thin strands of flesh and elegant membrane between them like a beta fish you'd get from a pet store. I remember scolding myself for making that comparison.

"what's going on? Th-this is messed up... Wh-What am I?" I whisper to myself still terrified as I touch what used to be my legs, the blue skin between the flickering scales feels thick like pure muscle rippling beneath the unnaturally smooth skin. 

"it's like you're.. a... mermaid or something " Brandon whispers a bit as we both stare and I start to calm down, frowning at the cringe worthy statement. I feel myself relax and I sit up off of Brandon to investigate it more. I prod the blue skin carefully. it looks as though it might be slimy I find its smooth and silky like a dolphin. 

The tail twitches involuntarily at my touch and I feel a slice on my finger. I pull my hand back quickly, sucking on my abused digit and tasting blood. I watch as the tails scale rise slightly and finally lay out along the skin. I reach out a hand more tentatively this time and touch, feeling no risen scales this time. The scales hardened like diamonds, their glow diminishing to a more natural iridescence and making the light in the cave dim. 

**

As I open my eyes, unaware that I'd closed them, I realize only a second has passed in my descent. only another memory flashing before my eyes to escape the inevitable. 

I close my eyes once more as I hit the surface, sinking, letting the water throw me against the rocks. It doesn't hurt as much as it should, even though I had hoped I would be dead before I hit the water. I had hoped to not feel the one solace I had in life beating me to death but I guess the terror of the night will be a bit more personal than I expected. then suddenly the current changes and it rips me out past the rocks, thrusting me into the open ocean. 

I turn my head to the surface weakly about five meters down. surprised to find a light show casting different illusions from up on the cliff. Based on the color it looks like a Fire has broken out. Probably in celebration of my death. 

I can only focus enough on the beauty of the lights playing in the pitch black water around me. I squint as the lights seem to get brighter, blue now swirling in the patterns as well and realize that the lights coming from me. I hadn't even been thinking about the itching until I'd looked down and saw my tail swishing little ripples about it. I hadn't even thought about holding my breath. 

Thankfully I changed with ease, my gills opening up beneath my dress and filtering out most of the salt. I notice the red pooling around me and floating in soft tendrils through the current. the blue refracting lights shimmering like crazy in the shadow of red explosions on the surface. I start to feel a tightness in my abdomen and when I look down I find the area around the blade and hilt glowing so brightly blue it almost blinds me.

I ignore the pain beginning to spread from the wound. The rhythmic contracting feels like my body is gradually pressing in on the blade. trying to close but cutting again, the blade is still there. I've never once healed myself, the feeling is unreal and for a moment I wonder if I'm already dead and this is just part of the process for going into the afterlife. 

though I've never come this close to death either. with a jarring flinch I realize I have to pull out the blade. It takes a moment but despite the vice like grip of fear on my heart, I wrap my hand around it and begin to pull it out.

I can't help but let out a muffled scream into the water at the pain. I tremble as I slowly remove it, whimpers leaving me but I know I have to. Once out I hold the blood soaked blade in my trembling hand, lungs heaving and gills working hard as I stare at it. Blood tendrils drifting about the water around me. 

I consider throwing it to the bottom of the ocean but as I start to notice shadows flitting about around me I decide keeping a weapon wouldn't be the worst idea, even if it's the very weapon used in my murder. 

I close my eyes against the light as it brightens, I can tell I'm closer to the surface now. I can feel my body quickly repair but the tightness in my abdomen remains, cramping and making me grit my teeth as my face finally breaks the water. I should feel relieved, like I have a chance but I don't know to what extent I've healed or how much blood I've lost, too much I'm sure. All I know is that I’m not safe yet. 

I open my eyes to a navy blue and black sky, riddled with diamonds, cloudless and beautiful the rain clouds gone. The light from the horizon bringing a warm orange glow to the single solitary line separating the sky and sea like a border of fire. even though I'm panting through the pain I still take a moment to admire it.

'it could be the last time you see this after all, funny how every time you've admired the ocean you never looked up at the sky. now your beloved ocean will be where you die admiring the sky' my snide inner voice tells me, for once not condescending, simply tired resigned to my fate with this beautiful sight as my last. My ears suddenly drain of water and I start to hear shouting, spattered gun shots and confirm the explosions id suspected from the cliff top. 

The excitement will probably keep the sharks away until after I'm dead. although now that I think about it they probably congregate to this spot. all the blood that’s been spilled here.. All the free meals for them, they probably aren't afraid of humans at all. 

'I can't die as shark bait, I won't die scared out of my mind' I hear my thought as though it had been spoken out loud and my thumping heart amplifies my conviction. I turn my head toward the rock face again, looking for a place to rest and hide. Either to wait for death or rescue I'm still unsure. 

'Okay, time to go' I think to myself, having given myself another moment to heal before turning over in the water and letting myself go under again. I pump my tail and burst forward, the strength between swimming with legs and swimming with a tail is jarring in my state. I've never realized how powerful my tail was in comparison until the rest of me wasn't.

Suddenly I hear another explosion followed quickly by a muffled scream and a splash I'm all too familiar with just behind me and I stop. Did they see me from the cliffs and jump in to finish the job?

I search the water and can just barely see a brown haired girl sinking fast, air bubbles escaping her mouth as she does. I shove the blade between my teeth and backflip swiftly amid the waves. I dive after her as quickly as I possibly can. I can't leave her, my blood in the water will bring predators. not to mention she doesn't seem to be moving at all. Even if I’m dying I won’t be the cause of someone else’s drowning. Not after all the months of saving people.

'this must be the other 'freak' they talked about..'

Luckily I reach her before she goes down too far. I smack a hand over her mouth just as she's about to take a breath. she looks like she could be all of sixteen years old. I wrap my uninsured arm around her waist and swim to the surface, holding her up above the water. She's unconscious, I groan as her weight presses against my chest and stomach making the ache ever more prevalent. She’s tiny compared to me, 5’1, 5’2 maybe to my 5’8. 

I close my eyes for a second, focusing on simply breathing when I see a deep gouge in her shoulder and bicep. bloody tendrils snaking down her arms as I hesitate a sudden fear hitting me as I see it.

"okay.. We need to get you out of the water" I say more to myself then to the girl, now panting with my fading energy. with both of our blood in the water it will be too tempting for any predators in the vicinity even with the excitement up top. I look around quickly for a place to rest again. I had been planning to just lay out in the rocks because I can breath under water but now I need someplace dry and hidden.

I’m just about to give up hope when I spot the opening in the rocks from the very night I first discovered my mutation.

"Thank you god for replaying our lives when we're about to die" I mutter, the water there is calm and it leads to the cave in the cliff face. With the tide it’ll be even easier to get us both into the cave as well, the water just below the opening. 

Without hesitation I swim for the alcove, navigating the jagged rocks carefully. once I reach the opening I shout with the pain and effort to push her up onto the small cave floor and once she's finally there I pull myself up after. 

I army crawl to the back, breathing heavily as I reach out and drag her in farther, her head in my lap. I finally allow myself to feel the exhaustion, like really really feel it as I lean against the back wall. 

I try to catch my breath as I look down at myself. the front of my dress stained red but thankfully not torn beyond repair. my unmarred skin visible through the hole in the front. My midsection still glows lightly with the same energy that healed me, catching the last moments of the stab wound closing itself. I look at the various cuts and the gouge in her arm. I get the sudden feeling that I should try to use it to help her, part of me somehow knowing exactly how to do it. I lay the knife on the floor next to me, keeping it close. 

I close my eyes and, after a moment of concentrating my energy into my palm, see a bright blue light behind my lids. I open them and stare at my hand as it glows, the same pretty blue light in my palm. It wavers like a flame and I know it's because it's hard too focus like this. I slowly reach for her arm, pulling it towards me and placing my hand over her wound. It heals quickly and I move to the cut on her forehead. After that too goes away, I lift my hand to reveal just some blood in their places. 

"Holy sh.." I say quietly, suddenly I feel like the cave is rocking back and forth and I nearly collapse over her. I thrust my hand out to her side to stabilize myself and hiss as it dawns on impact that it's my injured arm. I drop quickly to my elbow, cursing when it catches their knife hilt right at the joint.

I stare blankly at my still badly bruised and bent arm, the healing must only work if the wound is life threatening. I blink slowly and its seems that with every one the cave brightens a fraction and I realize that the sun must be rising. 

The rapidly brightening stone walls still spinning, I realize that the cave isn't moving so much that my body is reeling, the nights events finally taking a toll. 

I groan as I regain only a small semblance of balance. With a jolt I realize that I've fallen completely. probably having passed out from the use of my new ability, laying half over her. When I can finally open my eyes and get a grip the sound of shouting and explosions have stopped and its eerily silent.

I force myself to sit up back against the wall, slowly grabbing the knife. the sun has risen half up over the water, almost blinding me. I shake my head to clear it as I start to lower the girl to go look out the entrance. suddenly a man in orange and black dives into the churning water. I gasp as he lands just beyond the jagged ring of rocks, coming up and diving again three times. He shouts angrily once he comes up for good, concern lacing his gruff features. 

"I can't find either of them! You sure Kitty and the girl went over the edge Kurt? You saw them in the water?" he shouts, his voice rough probably from the salt water. Quickly as I can I pull the girl up more, her head against my chest protectively. I grunt, shutting my eyes as a wave of nausea hits me, my body still weak. The pain in my arm becoming more and more prevelant. it's all I can do to keep my own arms lifted let alone holding onto her but I have too. What if he's the clean up crew checking to see if we're really dead.

"yes, I'm sure of it!" a much younger German voice chimes in, I flinch at how close he sounds as though he were right outside. The man nods and dives again at this, why go to such lengths if he weren't trying to save her though. 

Suddenly I smell sulfur and a puff of smoke appears in front of me along with a blue furred, pointy eared, spade tailed, boy in red and black. I shriek and my tail curls to bunch underneath me again, making it look like I'm sitting on my knees. My dress covering everything he might see.

The blue boy whirls around and stares at us, smiling happily once his gaze drops on the girl. he winces though once he sees my blood stained dress. I have to school my breathing as I feel my head lighten, as though I were on a cloud. He takes a step forward, reaching out a hand to me, and I finally find my voice. 

"st-stay back! I'm warning you!" I say shakily, my teeth gritted against the nausea. Hand gripping the knife, broken arm wrapped insecurely around the girl I point it at him. Though I’m scared my face betrays my terror and I have no idea what I’m doing. I’d I love I resolve to never feel this helpless again.

"but you're hurt" he says, looking concerned and confused. I shake my head and tighten my arm around the girl despite the pain.

"I-I'm fine, just stop! " I yell as he tries again to come near us, my voice breaking as my wrist screams it's protest at being moved to slash at him with the knife. Just wanting to keep him at a distance. He stops then unafraid and plops right down, twisting his legs criss crossed. He's only about arms length away from us, with how weak I am he could take the girl from me if he wanted to but he doesn't and that disarms my fear of them being with The Watch. I slowly lower the knife, trying not to cry.

"did they do that you?" he asks kindly, gesturing to my wrist where I have it limp holding his friend to me. I tilt my head in confusion, trying to reign in my emotions. 

"W-Where did you-? Who are you?" I ask, he smiles disarmingly at me, I see his spade tail moving behind him. 

"I'm Kurt, ve're here to help you, that’s my friend Kitty you're holding. You saved her right? Thank you" he says calmly pointing to the girl, I look down at her face, lit up by the rising sun. When I look back at him I'm sure he can tell I don't believe him. he seems like he's focusing on something else as he speaks, trying to keep me focused as well. I nod, taking in what he said suspiciously and he sighs when I still don't relax "look ve can only help if you let us, ve're friends not enemies. Arden and Teimoso are vaiting for you, Mr. McCo- I mean your uncle too. Ve're his students at the institute." 

"My brothers?" I ask thoroughly confused, I can't wrap my tired brain around what he's saying. Suddenly a breeze sweeps into the cave, I Duck my head. I open my eyes to find the white haired woman from the jewelry stand floating outside the entrance to the alcove. She's all dressed in leather and has a cape on her back and attached at the wrists. 

"yes they are, Your brothers are worried about you. we have someone who will look after your injuries Taylana, we're the good guys" she says reassuringly, I can tell that she's telling the truth. I bite my lip and loosen my arms around the girl, letting the boy take her from me. 

"Kurt take Kitty and get her to the jet, I will help miss McCathrey" the woman says as she settles in the alcove, walking toward me as Kurt and Kitty disappear in another cloud of sulfur and smoke. She walks right to me and holds out her hand. “Come with us, you’ll be safe”

"I-I can't" I say simply, she frowns in confusion and I force the tail to uncurl and lay out on the floor. 

"I see.. I know someone who will be able to help us" she turns toward the water again and the man's head flicks up to her. I'm about to warn him away from the rocks but he navigates them easily, swimming over to the alcove. once he's here, he pulls himself up and stares at me sniffing a bit.

"That’s a lot of blood kid, you doin okay?" He asks me, almost instantaneously I look down at myself, my vision blurring a fraction. I hear the blade clatter against the cave floor and feel the world sway to the sounds of curses and the woman's gasp just once more. Before I know what's happening there are hands on me, lifting me as though I were made of paper whoever it is forcing me to lean on them. 

"She seems to have healed herself but by the amount of blood on the ground and the sharks lurking out there I’m guessing the blood is fresh. she probably hasn't regained her supply, judging how pale she is, she'll likely need a transfusion" The woman with him agrees with everything he says and a sudden gust comes into the cave, swirling around us and drying my tail in the process. The itching makes me feel like vomiting, my senses are in over drive as the scales fall away, hitting the stone floor with soft plinks like breaking crystals.

I groan as we start to move, the ground seemingly unstable, rocking back and forth like a ship at sea. 

"Bring us up Jean!" I feel a cool salt water breeze hit me as we pass the entrance, I expect to feel water but when we suddenly lift I gasp. I have to clap a hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up. This feeling of weightlessness is making me feel sick.

"You're gonna be okay kid, just hold on a second" The man tells me gently, pulling my arm further over his shoulder. I nod as we slow down, finally moving forward onto dry land. When we touch the ground I feel the joints in my feet, ankles and knees crack as they usually do. this time though if I hadn’t had this man holding me up I would have collapsed. I hear a disgusted groan and take a deep breath as footsteps rush toward us. 

Suddenly to a chorus of policemen yelling about contaminating the scene and Ardens voice hesitating and apologizing to said officers. I'm torn away from the two, arms wrapped tightly around me and lifting me off my feet in a hug. 

"Oh god are you okay honey?! We were so worried about you!" Jackie's voice coo's in my ear, he starts swinging me back and forth. only a little bit but with my stomach and how dizzy I am I feel the sausage and peppers from earlier start to come up. I cover my mouth again, gagging loudly and Jackie stops suddenly. "You okay Tay?" 

As he releases me looks down into my face nervously I shove away from him. I stumble past the man and woman, dropping to my knees at the cliffs edge as I throw my head over the side just as it all comes up. 

I hear the frightened and annoyed protests as I throw up violently over the edge. I almost lose my balance and feel cold hands quickly grip my knee and hip. I feel the earth settle beneath me and I realize as my vision finally clears that I'd almost launched myself back over the edge. 

"The hell kid! You got a death wish?" The man who'd held me on the way up scolds me as another wave escapes me. I feel the person next to me shift and tense in response and I imediately recognize Piotr's accent. 

"Please Logan, I have her" Piotr speaks gently though his grip is firm as though I'd scared him. I feel Jackie's thin hand delving into my hair and pulling it away from my face, twisting it none to gently into a thick braid down my back.

"Yes she's safe here, Let's go make sure the local officials have what they need" The white haired woman's voice chimes in, coaxing the man as though he were a nervous tiger pacing his cage. I feel the hand wrapped around my knee slowly release as they walk away. 

I blink away the tears in my eyes as the nausea finally gives way, my mind clear for the first time since we were in the cave. A handkerchief is slowly presented in front of me and I take it with a nod of thanks. 

"Feeling better?" He asks me kindly, I smile and nod not even wanting to think about how I was just puking my guts up in front of what could be the most attractive man I've met in my life. 

'you pretty much just died, can you kill the libido for a second?' my inner bitch gripes, I roll my eyes and sigh conceding. Even I don't know why I've suddenly noticed that, I mean I noticed earlier but-

'Jesus! Get it together stupid! That lady said you need a blood transfusion which means you are not out of the woods yet!you can woo the hot russian later if you live' I blink away the snide commentary mentally punching her across her perfect cheekbones as I wipe my mouth with the offered hanky, letting Piotr and Jackie pull me to my feet. 

I take a deep breath and I look around, the ring where I had been standing on the edge clearly ripped apart by.. whatever I had done. 

A perfect ten to fifteen foot circle no less, most of the cars are gone although theres a few people I recognize handcuffed and sitting by the police cars. They stare at me in shock as I'm led toward the police tape and barricades.

My gaze drops to the red stained mud where I'd been stabbed and something in my mind splinter. my breath becoming shallow as I let Piotr pull me forward. I tear my eyes away from it, only to meet the front of my dress with my entire midsection looking like a wide red kimono belt going off both sides. My heart beating faster as everything sinks in.

"Hey!" I flinch and look up to find that Piotr was awkwardly trying to get me to duck beneath the tape when Arden came and grabbed my face for my attention. Jackie watching me in infinite worry as he too dives beneath the tape and grabs my hands to coax me across. "You're okay little sister, just come over here and we'll get you to the hospital. One step at a time" 

I nod and bend, feeling an ache spread across my abdomen as I do but I ignore it. It doesn't seem like anything life threatening. As soon as I cross the barrier my legs are tied up in a pair of arms too small to be anyone my age and without the hands that come to steady me I would have fallen. 

"D-Don't you scare me like that!" I hear Irene sob just before I look down and see the usually upbeat and sardonic girls bright red little face. I shake off Arden as he tries to pull me along and kneel in front of Irene, pulling her into a soft hug. She immediately wraps her arms around me and cries into my chest. Bowen out of breathe to our right, apologizing to the police for her sneaking past them. 

"Hey.." I pull back a little to look into her face and smile when she looks up at me "I'm okay honey. See?"

I tell her this carefully, gesturing down at my body to prove my point. though I sound weaker than usual and it doesn't help much as she sniffles and once again buries her head to cry. I smile down at her softly, pushing my legs underneath her and sitting her in my lap comfortably. 

She continues crying and I hold her to my chest, rocking back and forth and singing Black is the Color from Celtic Woman to her. I know it's her favorite and even as I sing it to her I can feel her calming down. I start to hear mumbled voices talking to me as my head fogs with exhaustion and just as I look up see what their saying I feel myself list over to the side with Irene still cuddled in my arms and my eyes close.


End file.
